Sins of a Father
by Ira4
Summary: Unexpected news from home force Amanda to deal with things she shouldn't have to deal with. Last chapter is up.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own any of the svu characters._

_I have a confession to make – every time I write a fanfic I get an idea for another one. Rest assure I'm working on my other fic(s) and not forsaking it._

_But I can't help it – writing stories about Amanda (and about rollaro) is just too much fun_

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><p>There was a knock on the door.<p>

Amanda found it funny that this knock made her hear skip a beat, like some schoolgirl waiting for her first date. This was far from a first date and Amanda was no school girl. Still, whenever he knocked she felt something inside of her, a rush of excitement through her.

It was the good kind of excitement. Amanda wasn't a stranger to the bad kind of thrill, the kind that ended up with her gambling. But she felt like she had the wisdom to know the difference now, to recognize the good kind of excitement, the one that actually brought her peace, calmed her down.

She walked to her door, and even though Amanda had no problem identifying Nick's knock, she still looked through the peephole.

Amanda didn't try to fight the smile that spread on her face, this was her usual reaction to seeing him outside of work. A smile following the skipping heartbeat, maybe she was a schoolgirl after all.

But the best feeling came after opening the door, when she could see his expression matched hers, the spark in his eyes, the gorgeous smile portraying on his lips. Lips that would soon meet hers.

"Hey" she opened the door, letting him walk inside "what's all this?" she asked after the quick kiss he gave her, she was referring to the paper bags in his hands.

"Dinner" he answered after he placed them on the kitchen counter, petting Frannie who ran to greet him but then seemed more interested in one of her toys.

"I thought you were bringing take out" Amanda walked over to him, she kissed him, wanting to feel those lips again, this time she didn't settle for a quick one, and let her tongue caress his lower lip before he happily let her in.

The kiss lasted a long time, their arms joined the passionate dance and dinner almost slipped both Nick and Amanda's minds. The need to breath forced them to pull apart after a while. They both smiled at one another, her hands moved from his lower back to his arms and his stayed on her waist. He leaned in for one more kiss, a quick one.

"You should have bought take out" she said jokingly, lowering her hands, letting them rest just above his butt.

"So it's making dinner or _this_?" He raised his eyebrows a little, kissing her again. She pretended to think about it before answering but then shook her head with a big grin on her face.

"What's the plan?" she asked, distancing herself from him a little, forcing his arms to fall off of her body.

"Cuban Chicken Fricassee" he replied.

Nick opened some cabinets in search of the dishes he needed in order to cook. Amanda didn't have a lot of cookware but they didn't need much to make this dish.

"My mom taught me how to make this a long time ago" he explained while taking things out of the bags and setting them on the counter "I learned the quick version and the real one" he glanced at her.

"I hope we're making the faster one" she smiled.

"Yes" he said, expecting her to say exactly that "but the only difference is that we won't marinade the chicken" he took out the cutting board and a knife and put the onions next to it.

She grabbed a bowl and started on the onions while Nick worked on the chicken and then on the sauce. She moved on to the peppers and the potatoes.

"You've got some knife skills" he commented after looking at her progress.

"I'm not that bad at cooking, just didn't want to share my incredible skills with you" She laughed at his expression.

"Hiding secrets from me?" Nick slowly walked over to her, she put down the knife and looked at him, he placed his right hand over hers and kissed her cheek "back to work, I'm hungry"

"Should have brought takeout" she murmured, trying to sound dramatic just to annoy him a little.

"Oh, no" he grinned "next time you need to show me those incredible cooking skills of yours" he placed the pot on the stove, turning it on.

"Careful what you wish for" she chuckled, focusing on her task.

When all the ingredients were in the pot, being stirred by Nick, Amanda walked to the sink to wash the dirty dishes.

"Looks good" he said, placing the lid on the pot "now all we've got to do is wait"

"So much for the fast version" she said, glancing at him with a smile.

He wrapped his arms around her and Amanda had to stop what she was doing as his proximity felt so good.

"Let me help you" he muttered into her ear, his breath on her sending shivers down her spine.

"No" she slightly shook her head "just don't move"

He didn't say anything but Amanda could feel him smiling against her skin, she was almost done and right now she'd rather feel his hands around her waist.

Amanda turned around in his arms after the dishes were washed and she'd dried her hands. He loved the way she smiled at him and rewarded her, and himself, with a kiss.

They'd let their tongues play a mellow game with one another, enjoying the closeness, the heat radiating from the other's body.

"You feel so good" he whispered into her ear when their mouths pulled apart, but their bodies still connected "always" he added and tightened the grip around her, her head leaning against his chest.

"Say it again" he heard her hiss.

"You always feel so good" Nick happily repeated his words, it was the absolute truth and he would love to tell her that again and again.

She reluctantly pushed her self away from his arms "come on" she walked to the couch and he followed.

"How much longer?" Amanda asked once she was sitting comfortably, Frannie, who wasn't very interesting in the cooking earlier, rushed to the living room to join Amanda on the couch, leaving Nick only a small space to sit in.

"Less than fifteen minutes" he answered after checking the time "getting impatient?"

"Getting?" her eyes widened "I'm pretty much starving"

"Take out next time?" he asked playfully, but she shook her head.

"It was fun, I liked cooking with you" Amanda looked at Frannie but then turned back to Nick "your mom taught you well"

"She did" he nodded. Nick was about to ask if her mom had taught her anything about cooking, but stopped himself, realizing, from the little he did know, that was probably not the case. His smile faded for a second and it didn't go unnoticed by Amanda but she remained silent.

She liked how Nick knew her pretty well by now, sure, there were many things she didn't talk about. But she felt like there was no need to do that, he knew things were complicated with her family so he didn't probe, and Amanda really appreciated it.

"Want to watch some TV?" he asked and she nodded.

He flipped through the channels until the food was ready. She helped him bring everything to the table and then they could finally eat.

"Well?" he asked after she had a couple of bites.

"Well" she answered "the best thing in this dish is the way the vegetables were cut" she gave him a serious look.

"I see" he tried to look upset but Nick couldn't keep up the charade seeing a smile spreading on her beautiful face.

"It's great" this time she meant it "better than take out"

"Don't forget you've promised to cook for me next time" he said before taking another bite of the chicken.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" she had a mischievous look and he nodded, accepting the threat.

They continued eating quietly, enjoying each other's company and the tasty food they'd made together. This time Nick was in charge of washing the dishes while Amanda cleared the table.

They'd spent a little more time in front of the TV, this time Frannie wasn't in Nick's way and Amanda could lean in to him, her hand resting on his thigh.

After a while they realized neither was interested in what was on the screen and Nick carried her to the bedroom closing the door behind them.

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><p>Nick's lips were on Amanda's stomach, very slowly making their way back to her face. He wanted to give her time to catch her breath after her climax and he loved feeling her bare skin under his mouth. Tasting her sweat, feeling her rapid heart beats, listening to the sounds she made.<p>

He left a trail of kisses up to her neck, enjoying the way the skin above her collar bone tasted. When he felt her relax he captured her lips with his and she gladly let the kiss deepen.

The way she sighed into his mouth told him she wanted more, and he more than happily obliged, entering her slowly.

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><p>Later that night they were both sound asleep. Nick's arms wrapped around her, holding her close. It was almost 3 am when there was a noise in the bedroom.<p>

Amanda stirred in his arms, recognizing the sound she woke up and lifted herself up a bit so she could reach the vibrating phone.

Nick heard it too and opened his eyes slightly to see her move "work?" he hummed.

"No" she answered quietly after looking at the screen "go back to sleep" Amanda said tenderly.

He watched her taking his shirt and quickly putting it on, buttoning one button on her way out of the room. She closed the bedroom door and he shut his eyes, thinking she looked beautiful wearing his clothes. A smile spread across his face, and he decided to stay up so he could see her coming back. Nick was getting sleepy after a few minutes, wondering who she was talking to so late and for what seemed like a long time.

He got up and grabbed his boxers, putting them on as he walked after her to the living room. It was quiet, she wasn't talking to anyone anymore. Nick saw her sitting on the couch, even though he could only see her back he knew something was wrong, she seemed tense. Getting closer to her she looked almost frozen, her right hand touching her chin.

"Amanda?" Nick tried to keep his voice calm as he moved closer to her.

"Mmmm?" she mumbled, not looking at him.

"You ok?" he sat down next to her.

She turned to him and nodded, but her eyes clearly told him it was not the case.

"Who was on the phone?" Nick asked, trying to read her expression.

"Sam" she replied.

_Her old captain Sam? Why would he call her so late_? He wondered but didn't ask as he wanted her to tell him. He reached her and softly caressed her shoulder.

"He called to say" she started but stopped to take a breath.

"My dad's dead" Amanda finally said.

Nick wasn't sure what to say, he knew almost nothing about him, but it was obvious she was highly upset.

But then she said something else, and now he really didn't know how to respond.

"Somebody killed him"

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><p><em>I know I've already written a story with Amanda's dad, but this one is going to be different and I hope you're going to like it. I promise a lot of cheesy rollaro moments (even though I think some are going to be a bit too cheesy, but I'm sure you won't mind, I love some fluffy rollaro)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you very much for the reviews, I really appreciate them so here's a quick update and a longer chapter._

_And to the anon who suggested a fic about __poisoned motive__ – well, it did give me an idea, but I want to work on my other fics so maybe after I'm done with them (I'm working on two multi chapter ones and the one shots when svu is on) and life also gets in the way, so I might do it at some point._

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><p>Amanda was surprised to see Sam's name on the caller ID. Why would he be calling her in the middle of the night? It couldn't be good news. But there were many options for bad news and she had no idea what to expect.<p>

"Sam?" she answered once she closed the bedroom door, not wanting to bother Nick.

"Amanda" he said "I know it's late, and I'm sorry to tell you like this"

"What's going on" she was standing in the middle of the dark living room, she could see Frannie sleeping and she walked over to the couch.

"Listen Amanda" Sam's voice sounded a little anxious "I've got some bad news"

"Oh" she wasn't surprised to hear that.

"It's about your dad"

Now she was somewhat surprised, Sam had never met her father, why would he be calling about him?

"I got a call an hour ago" he said "they found his body"

"His body?" it still hadn't sunk in, what was he talking about?

"I got a call from homicide" Sam explained "they found his ID and checked his information, one of the detectives is a friend and he called me"

"What are you saying?" she needed him to say the words, because she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Amanda" Sam spoke "look like your father was murdered"

"Oh" that was the only thing she could say.

Sam was about to say something but she found her voice and he didn't get a chance to speak.

"I'm gonna get a ticket and fly there tomorrow"

"Good, the detectives will go talk to your mom tomorrow" he let her know.

"Ok" she nodded, even though he couldn't see it "I will call you"

"Alright" he said "I'm so sorry Amanda"

"Thanks, thanks for telling me" her voice was quiet "I'll call you" she hung up and put the phone on the table.

She wasn't sure how long it'd been, she was sitting on the couch and staring at nothing. Nick was there after a while.

"Somebody killed him" she told Nick what Sam had said.

Nick moved closer to her, he wasn't sure what to say, she looked down on her phone and he wanted to hug her but she flinched.

"Amanda?" he was concerned.

She turned to look at him "I don't know what to think"

"It's ok" Nick nodded.

She reached for his hand and he took it in his own, moving it closer to his lips so he could kiss her palm.

"Whatever you feel, it's ok" he repeated.

He lowered his hand, not letting hers go and just looked into her eyes, she seemed so confused and Nick wanted to do something to fix it, to help her.

"I'm gonna go back to bed" she said all of the sudden, standing up, her hand still in his which made him follow her.

Amanda let his hand go on her way to the bedroom, but she placed her head on his chest after they were under the covers. He wrapped his right arm around her and tried to focus on the way she was breathing.

Her breaths were calm, but _different_ calm. Nick realized he was familiar with the way she breathed, he knew how she sounded before falling asleep, and although now her breaths were even, he knew she wouldn't fall asleep soon.

But Nick was exhausted. It had been a long day at work and even though the time he'd spent with Amanda this evening was nothing other than blissful, she wore him out. The fatigue won him over and he fell asleep holding her close to him.

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><p>"Hey" Nick walked into the living room. She wasn't in bed when he woke up.<p>

"Hey" she smiled to him, he thought she looked kind of energetic.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Amanda was sitting on the couch with her laptop on her knees.

"I got a ticket to Atlanta" she explained.

He walked over to her so he could sit down. She smiled at him again and leaned to give him a peck on the lips.

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

"At noon, I'm gonna go in to talk to Benson and I will catch a flight later"

"You talked to your mom?"

She shook her head and her lips curved a bit "later, she's not a morning person and I don't know if the detectives got a chance to talk to her yet"

Amanda closed the laptop and placed it on the table.

"How are you doing?" Nick was not sure what her response would be, but he needed to ask, he wanted her to talk to him.

"I don't know" she replies honestly.

"I'm sorry Amanda" he moved closer to her, his hip touching hers.

She nodded and smiled at him "I need to take Frannie out"

"I'll wait here" he caressed her thigh "I'm gonna make us something to eat before we go back to work, ok?"

"Thanks" Amanda got up and Frannie happily shook her tail, knowing they were going for a walk.

"Of course" he said, watching Amanda getting ready. She put on her jacket and took her phone and keys. She grabbed Frannie's leash and smiled at him again before leaving.

They weren't out for long, less than half an hour, during which Nick made breakfast. To take his mind off things he put a real effort in it and Amanda gave him a questioning look when she got home, finding the food waiting on the counter.

"I was hungry and you we had leftovers from last night" he shrugged "come on" he gestured at the food.

They ate quietly, Nick had prepared a Frittata and a salad, it was a nice change from the usual toast she had for breakfast.

After the dished were cleaned it was time for Nick to go back to his place.

"I'm here for you" he said after she gave him a quick hug.

"I know" she smiled and gently touched his chest before letting him go.

She had to get to the station soon.

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><p>Amanda did show up early, not wanting to leave abruptly, she finished some paper work before any one from her squad got to work.<p>

But when Olivia got there Amanda told her they need to talk.

"Five minutes?" Benson asked and she nodded.

During these five minutes Fin and Nick arrived at the station and she exchanges a quick look with Nick.

"Rollins" Olivia called her and she walked over to the office.

"Guys can you come in" she asked the men, she wanted to tell Fin as well, and even though Nick had already known, it would have been weird if he was left out.

They walked in after her and Liv seemed a bit surprised that Amanda wanted to talk to all of them together.

"What is it Rollins?" she asked.

"I got a call from my captain down in Atlanta" she started, she'd already said the words once but it felt harder now "he said that last night they'd found my dad's body" she wasn't sure who to look at and her gaze moved from one another "it looks like a homicide"

Olivia's eyes widened a little "I'm so sorry, can we do anything?"

"No" Amanda answered, her eyes focusing on Benson "I got a ticket, I'm gonna need a few days and then I'm gonna be back here"

"Of course" Liv said "take as long as you need".

"Just a few days" Amanda shook her head, she didn't want to stay in Georgia for too long.

"Let us know when the funereal is, I'm gonna fly over there" Fin said.

"Thank you Fin, but I know your son and Alejandro were going to spend some time with you…"

"Come on Amanda" Fin dried to protest but it was useless.

"I appreciate it Fin, I really do, but I don't even know if there will be a funeral, and I want you to spend time with your family, please" he knew she meant it so he nodded, agreeing to stay.

"But I think someone should come" he added "represent the NYPD"

"I can do it" Nick offered and they all turned to him "is that ok?" he looked at her, trying not to show what he was feeling, hoping they couldn't read how much he wanted to go so he could be there for her.

"Yeah" Amanda nodded.

"Ok?" Nick turned to Benson.

"Sure" She answered "and Amanda, again, if there's anything I can do…"

"Thank you sergeant, I'm about done with the reports and then I'm gonna have to go"

"Leave the paperwork to me" Fin offered "go do what you've gotta do"

"It's fine Amanda" Olivia said "you can go, just let us know that you're ok"

"Thank you guys" she smiled.

They walked back to their desks and Amanda stopped by Fin's.

"Fin" she looked at him "thank you"

"No problem" he gave her a hug "take care of yourself, promise me"

"Promise" she smiled, taking her things from her desk.

"Let me know about the funereal" Nick walked over to them.

"I will" she nodded "I'll call you"

She wanted to hug him so bad at that moment, but she wasn't sure she could let him go if she did, so instead of a hug she touched his arm. Just a quick touch. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.

"Bye" she smiled at Nick and then at Fin before walking out of the station.

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><p>Coming back to the apartment Amanda had some time before she had to be at the airport. She took Frannie to a dog pension she'd known for a while.<p>

Amanda packed her trolley when she got home. She wasn't sure if there would be a funeral, her mom might want to choose a cremation. Should she pack something for a funeral? Amanda felt confused, she took out a black dress and placed it in the suitcase, she looked at it for a while, it was just a simple dress, but all of the sudden it looked so sad, folded next to couple of shirts and above her pajama pants. Amanda couldn't take her eyes of it, this is what she would wear to her father's funeral, which might not happen, but it doesn't matter.

Cause her father is dead.

Her dad is gone.

She had to sit down, look away, as if it would be fine if she just didn't look at that stupid dress, at the black buttons and the black belt that was connected to it.

Why did it bother her so much? She has to stay calm. The detectives would have questions for her, not that she could help since she hasn't seen him for years.

But she would now. She would go to the morgue and finally see her dad.

Amanda didn't even know how he looked now, after all this time. Would she recognize him?

She stood back up and finished packing. She had a flight to catch.

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><p>The flight went by fast, almost too fast. But she was there, making her way to the station to see Sam. She called him after she'd landed and he was surprised to hear she was already there, he said he would have picked her up. Amanda didn't want him to do that.<p>

She took a cab to the precinct. And Sam was waiting for her there.

"How are you doing?" he asked when she walked in.

"I'm ok" Amanda nodded, looking at him.

"I'm so sorry" he smiled, he wanted to offer her a hug but she looked distant so he decided not to "you can put it in my office" he gestured at the trolley "you gonna go to your mom's?"

"Later" she replied "did they talk to her?"

He nodded "they told her you're on your way here, maybe you'd wanna call her"

"I will" she started walking towards his office "I just want to go to see him, is that ok?"

"Yeah" he said, looking at the floor for a moment "I asked them to make sure it gets prioritized"

"I'm sure they've got enough work" she pushed the door to the office and rolled the suitcase to a corner "but thanks"

"You know detective Marlow, right?" Sam asked.

"I think I do" she tried to remember who he was, they'd met a few times when she was still in the APD "not very well though"

"He's the lead on the case" he walked to his desk "he should be here soon"

"Good" she nodded, feeling a bit unsure what to say or do.

"You can sit while you wait" he watched her as she pulled out one of the chairs and sat down "want me to get you something to drink"'

"A glass of water maybe"

"Sure" he smiled "be right back"

Once Sam was out of the office Amanda took out her phone. She texted Nick, let him know she was at the station and that she would call him later.

Not even a minute later Sam was back with a glass of water. Right beside him she saw detective Marlow. Amanda stood up.

"Detective Rollins" he extended his hand with a smile and she shook his hand "my condolences"

"Thank you" she nodded slightly.

"I have a few questions for you but the captain here said you wanted to go see him" Marlow glanced at Sam and then looked back at her.

"Maybe you could ask them in the car" Amanda suggested "I haven't seen my dad for years so I don't know how much I could contribute, but whatever it is…" she shrugged, not sure what to say.

"That sounds good to me" Marlow opened the door to the office.

Amanda grabbed the trolley's handle "I think I'm gonna go see my mom later so you don't mind if I take it with me?"

"No problem" Marlow replied "let's go"

Amanda walked behind him but she turned when she saw Sam following them "actually" she told him "I'd rather do it alone, ok? I will call you later"

For a second he just looked at her as if he would protest, but Amanda figured he must have changed his mind cause he nodded and smiled at her as she caught up with Marlow.

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><p>Detective Marlow opened the trunk and Amanda picked up the suitcase so she could put it inside. After shutting the door she sat down next to Marlow on the passenger sit.<p>

"Captain Reynolds told me your dad had left a long time ago" he said once she buckled up and he turned on the engine"

"Yeah" she answered "I was about nine"

"That was the last time you saw him?" he was focused on the road.

"No" she looked out of the window "he got back twice I think, maybe three times, but I'm not sure. But if was for such a short time…"

"Ok" he nodded.

"What did my mom say?" she asked him.

"Not much, basically what you just did" he glanced at her "I showed her his picture, she told me she'd rather not go to the morgue"

"She did?" Amanda wasn't surprised.

"Yeah, but she said she wanted to claim the body for a funeral, I'm sure you know the captain asked the coroner to prioritize"

"He told me that" she nodded.

They drove in silence for a couple of minutes.

"You think it's about gambling?" She looked at him.

"We are keeping every option open, but to be honest we couldn't find a lot of things to help us" he looked at her again "there are barely any physical evidence, no witnesses, no surveillance footage"

"The COD?"

"Forgot you're a detective for a moment" he smiled but then his look was serious again "blunt force trauma"

"So he was hit with something, you found the weapon?"

"No, killer must have taken it with him, through it away somewhere" he shrugged.

"So he knew what he was doing"

"Maybe" he shrugged again.

They were almost at the morgue now. She was getting un uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, talking like this was familiar, it was part of her job, but now it was about her dad.

"Alright then" Marlow parked the car and they walked out. He looked at her as if he was about to ask something like if she was ready, but then he just walked inside the building.

He spoke to the coroner for a moment before gesturing her to join him. They walked after the coroner inside a room, it looked like the one in New York, and Amanda had visited this one many times before, still, it looked so unfamiliar all of the sudden.

"Ok" the coroner said after rolling out the body. It was covered with a sheet and Amanda looked at it for a moment before nodding.

He lifted the sheet so she could look at the man lying there.

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><p><em>Alejandro is Fin's son (Ken) fiancé, they didn't mention it on the show but I've decided he's doing fine after what had happened to him on Learning Curve.<em>

_Coming up next: A piece of Amanda's childhood and more._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey, so in this chapter I'm bringing back__Michaela Rogers__, who I've__ introduced in one of my other stories: "Worth Pursuing", she's an ADA in Atlanta. I think Amanda is kind of a lonely person, especially since she moved to NY. But I like the thought of her having a real friend, even if it's in Atlanta. But these stories are not connected, I just like that character and didn't want to "waste" her on one story. _

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><p>He looked so different. But it has been so long she should have known, but a part of Amanda had expected him to look the same, like he did when he left. But he looked so much older and it felt weird, she was looking at a stranger who was her father.<p>

"Can I see his arm?" she looked at the coroner. He exchanged a look with Marlow "the right one" she added.

The coroner moved a little so he could reach it and moved the sheet to expose the arm.

"Can you turn it a bit?" she wanted to see the inside of the arm.

The coroner did as he was asked and she looked at it. It was there, the tattoo.

**M**.

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><p>Amanda remembered it vaguely now, she was about five when her dad had brought her to a game. He wanted to go play cards with some of his friends. Her mother wanted to go out too and they were arguing about who had to stay with her. In the end her father said he'd take her with him.<p>

He promised his friends she would be quiet, and he sat her down in front of the TV with something to eat. She was sitting there while they were playing, she heard them laughing, talking, drinking.

At one point she heard her dad call her.

"Hey Mandy" he said, she was pretty sure she wasn't in any trouble, she had been sitting quietly for a long time not wanting to bother them.

"Come here" he called her again when she stayed on the sofa "I'm about to win big Mandy" he had a smile on his face so she realized he wasn't angry at her.

"Watch your daddy win" he picked her up and sat her on his lap.

She was fascinated by the cards, she had no idea what they were playing at, but it seemed so interesting to her. Amanda was sitting on her father's lap, her elbows on the edge of the table, resting her head in her hands. She watched as they put colorful chips in a pile. She had no idea what was happening, and she didn't ask.

"Damn it" Amanda heard one of the other men.

"Screw you Rollins" another added.

"Hey" her dad said "we've got a kid here" he looked at her "they're just mad cause I won"

"You won?" she felt like it was alright to speak.

"I did" he smiled "I bet you are my lucky charm Mandy"

She gave him a huge smile. Amanda wasn't exactly sure what being somebody's lucky charms meant. But she knew she had lucky charms for breakfast sometimes, so it must have meant something good.

On the drive home her father mentioned it again "You know" he told her "I won a lot of money tonight, first time I win so much and I think that's because you were there"

"Because I'm you lucky charm daddy?" she asked.

He laughed "you sure are"

"Can I have some for breakfast?"

"Have what?" he looked at her.

"Lucky charms" Amanda smiled.

"Of course baby" he grinned at her "you can have them for breakfast and lunch and dinner"

"I had them for dinner yesterday!" she got excited.

As promised, the next day her dad gave her the cereal for breakfast and told her that they would go out again. She didn't mind, she loved spending time with her dad.

He took her somewhere far, none of his friends were there, but she could see a lot of other people. The room was dark and there was smoke in there. Her dad lit up a cigarette and found a sit.

"Don't worry about her" he said to someone.

It was a different game this time, she still had no idea what was going on.

"What do you say Mandy?" he asked her "should I get another card?"

She nodded, she thought they were beautiful.

"Good job!" he kissed her cheek "see, we won"

He took her somewhere else a few days later, but they told him no kids were allowed inside so he left her in the car. Told her to stay down. When he was back he looked pissed.

"That's what happens without my lucky charm" he looked at her "I lost Mandy"

The next day she hoped he would take her with him again, but when her dad got back home he told her he had something to show her.

"Look at this" he said, taking off a bandage from his arm, there was something there "see?"

He asked and she nodded "that's M for Mandy" he explained "now you're always with me, I'd always have my lucky charm"

But she was no lucky charm. He was on a losing streak and things at home were rough, her mother was pregnant and Amanda was excited about having a little brother or sister. She was the only one though, her parents were fighting constantly.

Amanda asked her dad if she could go play with him, but he refused. Sometimes her mother left him no choice and he would leave Amanda in the car, for such a long time she woke up still inside it in the morning. He looked so angry one of those times she was afraid to talk to him.

But she liked that tattoo, every time she looked at it reminded her of the fact her dad once called her his lucky charm. Amanda was so proud then.

* * *

><p>"That's him?" Marlow asked her.<p>

"Yeah" she answered, looking back at him.

"Thanks" he said to the coroner, who then covered the body with the sheet "you done with him?"

"We are waiting for some results, but we are done with the autopsy" the other man replied.

"Anything worth noting?"

"Nothing new" the coroner replied "the COD is blunt force trauma to the head, we're waiting for the tox screen, but I didn't find any damage caused by excessive use of drugs or alcohol"

"Thanks doc" Marlow said.

They walked out of the room and he turned to her "your father wasn't into drinking?"

"Gambling was his poison" she answered, he drank, he got drunk sometimes, but she couldn't remember it being something big like the cards.

"I've got to be honest with you" she said when they were out of the building. He looked at her, seemed very intrigued about what she was about to say.

"It has nothing to do with what had happened to him" she said "but I don't want it to look like I'm hiding anything"

"Ok" Marlow nodded.

"I would appreciate it if we keep this between us, I know you're Sam's friend"

"No problem" he agreed "what is it?"

Amanda thought he looked a bit surprised by her request not to talk about it with Sam, but it didn't matter, she had to tell him.

"I've got a gambling problem my self" Amanda said, he didn't react, just kept on looking at her "it's under control, but I know things like that have a way to come up in investigations, so I don't want it to be a surprise" she stopped for a moment "again, I would really appreciate it if we keep it between us"

"Don't worry about it" he nodded.

Thy walked to his car and she took out her suitcase.

"Need a ride anywhere?"

"No" she replied "I'm fine"

"I will be in touch" he walked towards the driver's sit.

"Thank detective" she said.

* * *

><p>Amanda needed a moment. She still had to get to Loganville, but she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to face her mom, talk to her.<p>

She bought a cup of coffee and drank it sitting on a bench, just looking at the people walking up and down the street.

She took out her phone and dialed.

* * *

><p>About fifteen minutes later a car stopped in front of Amanda.<p>

Amanda got up from the bench with a smile on her face.

"Hey Michaela" she said, walking to the car. The woman in the driver sit opened the door and walked towards Amanda.

"Hello!" she said happily "I was surprised to get your call" she pulled Amanda into a hug.

"I got here a few hours ago" Amanda explained.

"Come on" she opened the trunk so Amanda could put the suitcase inside.

"So what are you doing here?" Michaela asked once they were both sitting in the car.

"Well I…" she lost her words for a moment "my dad's dead"

Michaela's eyes widened and she looked at Amanda but didn't talk.

"Yeah" Amanda nodded "it looks like a murder actually"

"God, Amanda, I'm so sorry"

"I just saw him" she elaborated "they found his body and Sam called me yesterday"

"So what are you going to do? You gonna drive back to Loganville?" Michaela asked.

"Later" she nodded "I just need some time"

"I'll drive you to my place, we can chat a little, you've got a car?" Amanda shook her head at Michaela's question "I'm gonna ask Jack to send you a car from the dealership"

"You know detective Marlow?" Amanda asked "he's heading the investigation"

"Sure I do" she stopped at a red light and looked at Amanda "you knew him too, didn't you?"

"Not very well" she shrugged.

"He's a good detective, I'm sure he will figure it out"

"They have nothing" Amanda let her know "I guess it has to do with the gambling, but I don't know…"

"Did you talk to your mom yet?" she asked.

"I didn't" Amanda replied "I'm kind of postponing it as long as I can"

Michaela smiled "you gonna have a funeral?"

"Marlow said that's what she wants"

"You ok with that?" Michaela asked.

"Have I got a choice?" she smiled a bit bitterly "will you come?"

"Sure" she parked the car in front of the building and they both walked out "I'm gonna call Jack about the car"

"Thanks Mic"

Michaela smiled at her and they walked inside the building.

"We moved here two years ago" she told Amanda.

"It's really nice" Amanda left the trolley near the door.

"Want something to drink?" Amanda nodded, even though she wanted one, a beer might not be a good idea if she was planning to drive later.

"Maybe a glass of water" she said.

"Ok" Michaela smiled "so Jack is going to send you a car" she handed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks" Amanda took a sip.

"You want to talk about it?" but Amanda shrugged as if there was nothing to say.

"Want to talk about something else? Take your mind off of it for a while" they both smiled "so what's new?"

"I don't know" Amanda took a deep breath.

"So nothing?" She looked at Amanda who nodded slightly "that just means there's something you're not telling me"

Amanda took another sip of water.

"And if there's something you're not telling me" she continued "it means it's big"

They looked at each other, Michaela tried to read her "I know what it is" she raised her eyebrows "it is _someone_, isn't it?"

Amanda looked away but it worked for Michaela's advantage since she figured it must be true.

"It's complicated" Amanda finally admitted.

"You don't know any other way" she winked and Amanda laughed "but is it good?"

Amanda wasn't sure what exactly she was referring to, but the truth was that everything with Nick felt good, so the affirmative answer would be the right one.

Michaela smiled when Amanda nodded at her "Alright then" she decided to let it go for now, knowing Amanda hated being pushed.

They'd spent some time talking about other things until Michaela's phone rang.

"Your car is here" she let Amanda know "I'll walk with you"

* * *

><p>Amanda thanked Michaela before leaving, she appreciated the fact her friend was willing to help her. It was nice to spend sometime with her, take her mind off things. But she had no choice now, she had to drive to her childhood home.<p>

It wasn't a long drive, but this time it felt like it lasted forever. Probably because a part of her didn't want to arrive, facing her mother wasn't going to be easy.

But suddenly she was there, parking the car.

Everything looked both the same and different. She stepped out of the car and walked to the door. She had a key but still knocked.

The door opened after a few minutes.

"Nice of you to finally show up" said the woman who'd opened the door.

"Hey mom" Amanda tried to smile, but it wasn't easy.

* * *

><p><em>Coming up: We will meet Amanda's mom, Nick will come by for the funeral and more.<em>

_Let me know what you think._


	4. Chapter 4

_I know I promised Nick will come to Atlanta in this chapter, but I got caught up in writing it and things turned out a little differently than the initial plan._

_Thanks for the reviews – keep them coming. _

* * *

><p>"How are you mom?" Amanda left the trolley by the door and closed the it behind her. The room looked so familiar, as if she'd never left.<p>

"It hadn't been easy" she heard her mother's voice once the door was shut, she turned to look at her "something happens to your daddy and you're here, I should thank whoever killed him for making you visit"

"Mom" Amanda didn't expect anything else from her mom, she always talked about how Amanda preferred her dad even though he left.

Amanda walked over to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek "maybe we could have some tea? You could tell me about your plans for the funeral"

Amanda put on some hot water for tea. She took out two mugs from the cupboard placing them on the small table in the kitchen.

The kitchen didn't change as well, not since she was little. Her mother had always talked about redecorating, and after her father had left she sat Amanda and Kim on the couch and told them that things are going to be different from now on, they would change everything, color the walls, buy new furniture. Kim was excited and she started asking for all kind of things for their room, she wanted it to be a fairytale castle. But Amanda stayed quiet, she didn't want things to change and her mom got mad, telling her that her father left and that was it, it was the three of them from now on: Kim, Amanda and Louise.

But all the plans were scraped once her mom got busy with "dating". She would bring guys over and they didn't care how undecorated the house was. It took a long time for Kim's excitement to die down, and when they had breakfast with one of their mom's "friends" she would tell the guy all about the fairytale castle.

"Two spoons of sugar?" Amanda asked and her mom nodded. She handed her mother one of the mugs and sat on the chair in front of her.

"So what are you planning?"

"Just a small thing" Louise replied, he took a sip of the tea "I've already talked to the funeral home"

"You did?" Amanda looked down, her mom usually had ways to make others do things.

"Don't sound so surprised" Louise raised her voice "I swear, everything I do is not good enough for you"

"I didn't say that mom" Amanda said quietly, but it was useless, her mom wasn't going to let it go.

"You always think we all rely on you here" she said, her voice was judgmental, she loved blaming things on other people, and Amanda was an easy prey, she always tried to avoid arguing with her mother "I know you think you're some big shot, living in New York City, but you are just like the rest of us, you are nothing special Amanda"

Amanda bit down on her lip a little, she brought the mug to her mouth, just so she could keep herself occupied while her mother let it out.

"I don't know how you turned this way, I did not raise a selfish brat, but I guess you don't always get what you want"

The room was quiet for a while, both women finished drinking and Amanda took both mugs to the sink to wash them.

"They will release the body soon" she said, turning the water on "so we could have the funeral in a couple of days"

"That's good" Louise said "I don't want this to drag for long, I'm thinking about having a little get together after the funeral, something small here"

"Ok" Amanda turned the water off and dried the mugs, placing them back into the cupboard.

"Are you going to invite anyone?" she asked Amanda.

"Maybe a few, some people from the station" she said.

"That would be fine" she nodded "so we should get this place ready, maybe you could mow the lawn" she walked out of the kitchen but turned around "and if you could mop the floors, organize things, wouldn't want anyone thinking this place is a pigsty"

Amanda nodded, watching her mom go upstairs. She was so tired the only thing on her mind right now was sleeping. She turned off the light in the kitchen and grabbed her suitcase so she could carry it upstairs.

The room seemed so small. She'd shared a room with her sister since the day she was born. And when Kim was old enough they got a bunk bed. They begged their mom to get separate beds when they grew up, but she refused, she had so many excuses they got tired of asking. So Amanda slept on the top bunk until she left for college.

She didn't feel like climbing there now.

Amanda took out sheets from the closet and made the bed. She quickly put on her pajamas and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>They got a call from the funeral home the next day, they body had been released and they wanted to schedule the burial.<p>

Thankfully, Louise wanted it to be over as soon as possible, so they managed to schedule it for the day after tomorrow, Thursday, at five PM.

"Invite whoever you want" her mom said "I've got to run get some things"

"Alright mom" she smiled at her.

Louise gave her a kiss before leaving.

Once the door was closed behind her Amanda had to sit down. It will all be over soon.

She texted Michaela and Sam the time of the funeral and they both answered pretty fast that they will be there.

She dialed Nick's number.

"Hey" he answered pretty fast "you ok? I was hoping to hear from you yesterday"

"Sorry I didn't call" Amanda forgot she'd promised to call him "must have slipped my mind, I was exhausted"

"It's alright, I'm glad you called, how are you doing?" she could hear the concern in his voice.

"Fine" it was her fake fine, but Nick decided to let it go for now, there was not much he could do over the phone.

"So the funeral is on Thursday" Amanda was about to tell him that he didn't have to come, that she would be ok, but when she opened her mouth she realized how untrue it was. She really wanted to see him "five PM" she let him know.

"So I'm gonna talk to Liv and get a ticket, but I think they can spare me just for the day, we're pretty swamped, is that alright?"

"Of course" she answered "I know how it is"

"I will call you when I buy the ticket" she heard someone calling him, it sounded like Fin so she didn't keep him on the line.

"Ok" she said "thanks Nick"

* * *

><p>She started getting things ready for the gathering her mother had planned. She wanted everyone to come to the house after the burial.<p>

Amanda didn't like the idea but wasn't going to argue. Her mom loved attention, and playing the devoted widow to a husband who'd left her years ago, was one way to get it.

Her mother was out for a long time, when she finally got home she was unhappy with Amanda's progress on the cleaning.

"Darling, people are going to go _inside_ the house" she said "the yard looks terrible"

"I didn't get to it yet" Amanda spent the last couple of hours washing the kitchen. Her mother never liked cleaning, Amanda wasn't the biggest fan of that herself, especially since it was one of her jobs at home. Her mother tried to sweet talk her into it, saying she was the only one who could do it. But Amanda knew better, she knew her mother didn't want to clean, or cook, or take care of her and Kim, and her mother way too many times.

So she tried to handle all of that.

"While you were here" Louise continued "I took care of the food"

"Alright mom" Amanda smiled at her "I'm gonna go mow the lawn now"

"Good" Louise nodded "I will go rest now, it's going to be a long day tomorrow and we still have a lot to do"

* * *

><p>The lawnmower was old. They've had it for years and it never worked very well. Amanda used to mow the lawn since she was a kid, it took her hours, that thing was heavy and she struggled with it. But at some point she got used to it became easier.<p>

Much like many things in Amanda's life, it was hard at first but then she got used to it.

She got tired after a few hours outside. At least she made some progress, almost half of the yard looked better.

She left the lawnmower outside, no one in their right mind was going to steal it. Amanda made herself something to eat and took a shower.

It was actually her favorite room in the house. It was the one place where she had privacy, and the one place where, if you turned the faucet all the way, the sound of the water muffled everything else. And it gave her some peace of mind.

But it didn't work this time.

Amanda got dressed and walked downstairs. She figured her mom took something to help her sleep so she decided to drive to Atlanta.

* * *

><p>Marlow hadn't called, and she wondered if he had anything new. Amanda didn't want to be a hassle, but she really wanted to know if they found anything. Maybe he could shed some light about where he'd been all these years. It was probably bad, she figured he wasn't on some charity expedition, but Amanda needed to know who he was.<p>

Marlow was surprised to see her at the station and accepted her apology for showing up like that.

"I hear the funeral is on Thursday" he said.

"It is, probably going to be something short" she told him and then asked the question that was on her mind "you got anything new?"

Marlow looked at her "I'm afraid not" he always thought that detectives were like doctors in a way. Doctors were terrible patients and detectives were terrible relatives, whenever he had an investigation involving someone close to a detective they would ask questions and stick their noses in his work. Marlow really hated that. He tried to be sympathetic, he knew how hard it was to lose someone, but he wanted to be focused on the investigation and not on a fellow officer who had to meddle.

Detective Rollins didn't really bug him, this was the first time she initiated the conversation about the case. Still, he knew the type, she was expecting him to give her all the answers, more then just who killed the man. And he didn't have any.

"I'm sorry" he said "but we still have nothing, we looked through a lot of footage from the area but couldn't find him, there are many blind spots there"

"I get it" she was disappointed, she already knew they had no witnesses, and no evidence that could lead them anywhere. It was possible they would never find out who killed her dad.

"I will call you if I find anything" he assured her.

* * *

><p>So she might never know.<p>

It bothered her so much, she felt so angry. But what could she do?

Just wait? There weren't any other options. But she felt like she had to do something, she couldn't go back to the house. She couldn't just stay by the station.

It was like she wanted something she couldn't explain.

But then it hit her, she recognized the feeling, that need.

Amanda got back to her car. She took out her phone, there has to be a place she could go to, she just had to find it.


	5. Chapter 5

_To the anon who asked if it wont be suspicious that Nick goes to the funeral – it was Fin's idea that one of them goes but Amanda asked him to stay in NY cause he was supposed to spend time with his son. I think that when a family member of someone you've worked with for so long dies, you'd want to go to the funeral. _

_And I don't think I will write about what happened to Amanda in Atlanta in this fic. I've already written a one shot about it and I don't really have any other ideas, I might write more after we learn what really happened._

_One last thing before the next chapter, in this fic I try to deal more with the emotions and what Amanda's going through. It doesn't mean that's all that's going to happen in it. But I like how in this timeline Amanda and Nick are together and he supports her._

* * *

><p>Amanda parked the car next to the building. After browsing the web for a short time she'd managed to find a meeting.<p>

And she really needed one.

GA would always have to be a part of her life. Even though a part of her hoped she was over the addiction, she knew she couldn't think like that. No matter how much she hated how her gambling addiction connected to her father and her childhood, she had to accept it.

Gambling filled a void, a need, in her soul. And no matter how good things might be going for her, how happy she would be. The gambling was never going away, she would have to fight it for the rest of her life.

And yes, she had support now, she had Nick. But sometimes she needed something else, talk to someone who was in the same place. She was honest about it with Nick, she remembered how, a long time ago, the beginning of the end for Nick and Maria was her not letting him in on her PTSD after coming back home.

And even though Nick knew about Amanda's addiction before they got together, she tried not to hide her struggle. They both tried their best to do that, be honest about their difficulties, but also give the other one space, not to push when they didn't want to talk. They had to trust each other, it was something they'd agreed to do after they've decided that they are officially, but secretly, together.

Now was one of these times, she needed a meeting.

Amanda walked into the room. The meeting was about to start and she sat down on one of the chairs. She didn't recognize anyone, not that she expected to.

Everybody took a seat a couple of minutes later. And the meeting started.

* * *

><p>She drove home after the meeting, it was getting late and she assumed her mother was already asleep. She very quietly walked inside the house and made her way up stairs. The following day was going to be hard, her mom would probably complain about the way the yard looks, about how everything looks. Amanda wished she could be back in her apartment, in New York.<p>

It took her a long time to fall asleep this time. She was tired but so many things were running through her head she couldn't even focus on any of them.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she was woken by someone.

"You planning to sleep in?" it was her mother "get up, we've got a lot to do"

"Yeah, ok" she sat up, rubbing her eyes, she felt like a little kid again for a moment.

"How comes you're not done with the yard yet?" Louise asked the moment Amanda showed up in the kitchen "the neighbor's kid did it in less than two hours, if he was not in college right now…"

Amanda watched her mother shake her head, she had a disapproving look in her eyes, Amanda was very familiar with it. It had a tight competition with the disappointed look, but Amanda was pretty sure this one would take the first place.

She made herself some coffee, not feeling very hungry that morning. She had to drink it fast as Louise was already pointing out all the things she wanted Amanda to do in the living room.

"I'm going to the funeral home to check on the final details" she let her know a while later. Amanda was happy to be left alone.

She moved the furniture as her mother had asked her to, cleaned the old bookcase, it had no books in it, only a lot of boxes Amanda didn't want to open. When she was a kid, her mom used to leave Kim and her alone at home and they would try and guess what was in those boxes, they were too high for them to reach back then.

Kim wouldn't let it go one time and decided to climb to find out once and for all. But even though Amanda told her no to, Kim climbed on the bookcase. She'd almost reached the top shelf and suddenly got very scared, she was sobbing uncontrollably and Amanda, who must have been only eleven at the time, tried to calm her down. But it didn't really work. In between sobs Kim said she wanted to get down. Amanda wasn't sure what do to, she was so scared herself something might happen, but she didn't want to scare Kim even more so she acted as calmly as possible.

Kim seemed to calm down after a while, she stopped crying but she got a worse idea instead. She was going to jump.

"No Kim, don't jump" Amanda tried to stop her.

"You will catch me, right Amanda?" she didn't wait for an answer, and Amanda didn't have a choice. The way Kim jumped she landed on Amanda, knocking her down. She got a nasty bump on her head but didn't say a word about it to her mother, Kim didn't even seem to notice.  
>Now that it was easier to reach the boxes Amanda wasn't going to bother. So many things in the house reminded her of unhappy memories, she only wanted to forget.<p>

Somehow, without even noticing, the living room was ready. Probably wouldn't pass the inspection, but it would have to do for now.

Nick called her to let her know he bought a ticket, he booked a room in Loganville for one night since his flight back was scheduled for 11 am. She gave him her address and he said he'd rent a car when he gets there.

She wasn't looking forward to the encounter between Nick and her mom but Amanda's need to see him was greater than her lack of desire for them to meet.

As she had anticipated, the living room did not please her mother and she has to rearrange most of it. When that was done she worked on the yard, leaving some of the grass uncut, she was so tired she decided to finish it tomorrow.

This time she had no problem to fall asleep, it was the only thing she wanted to do.

* * *

><p>Nick really wanted to see Amanda. She said she was fine again and he started wondering if maybe he just didn't like that word, but the way she said it didn't sound fine to him. She did sound like she was trying very hard to be fine, and she shouldn't have to do that, she lost her father, and even though it was complicated, he was still her father, it was alright to be sad.<p>

He didn't waste time after landing in Atlanta and rented a car as soon as he could. He turned on his GPS and drove to Loganville.

He didn't bother going to the motel. He drove straight to her house.

Amanda was outside, mowing the lawn with what seemed like a pretty old lawnmower. He parked the car and looked at her for a moment, she looked like she was struggling with it and he smiled at her expression, she was frowning a little, and every couple of minutes she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He looked at the house, it was small and some of the paint was peeling. But it didn't look bad.

He stepped out of the car and walked towards her. She didn't seem to hear him because of all the noise the machine was making and jumped a bit when he gently touched her shoulder. But a smile spread on her face when she turned to look at him.

"Nick" she whispered and he smiled back, he hoped he didn't imagine it but the voice sounded somewhat relieved.

"Hey" he reached out to hug her but she pulled away, looking around, and he hoped she just wanted to avoid nosey neighbors and not him.

"You need help?" he asked as she turned the lawnmower back on.

"No" she raised her voice so he could hear her "it's been like this for years, I'm used to it"

"You've been doing that since you were a kid?" she nodded "I guess that's not a bad job for allowance"

She turned it off again and looked at him, raising her eyebrows a little, but she also had a smile on her face "sweet of you to assume we got an allowance" her smile grew and she turned back to her task.

"Oh" she didn't hear him this time and he just watched her for a while, she cursed the machine a couple of times but after a while she turned it off.

"Looks ok?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Good" she let out a breath "come inside, I'll give you the grand tour"

"Your mom's here?" he asked as they made their way to the front door.

"She's out, I'm gonna drive her to the cemetery later but right now she's probably doing…I don't what" she gave him a shy smile and opened the door.

"This is the living room" she gestured at it, he wanted to check it out a bit but she didn't give him time "the kitchen" she pointed at it "and upstairs…" she grabbed his hand and he was glad to finally touch her.

They walked to the second floor and she pointed at her mother's bedroom, at the bathroom and finally at her room.

"This is where you grew up?" he asked when they walked in.

"Yes" she looked at him as he studied the room "Nick" she surprised him by moving closer to him and putting her arms around him "thank you for being here" she said as his arms wrapped around her "even thought it's only because you wanted to see my house" she looked at him and smiled.

Nick chuckled, not exactly sure what to say, he pulled away a little and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, their lips just touching.

"You know" she let his mouth go, but her hands stayed on him "I've actually never had a guy in here"

"Really?" he sounded a bit more surprised than he'd planned.

"Well it would have been awkward with my sister here" she gestured at the lower bunk.

"So now you have" he smiled at her, she bit her lower lip and he lowered his mouth to kiss her again. Even though she was smiling he felt like it had been different than her usual one. She had a spark in her eyes when she was really smiling, it was so life full, and so joyful it was infectious.

But now her eyes stayed out of it, only her lips participated in the smile.

She took a deep breath when their lips parted "you should go" she touched his chest gently "I will see you at the cemetery, at five?"

He nodded, caressing her hand that was still resting against him.

"Ok" she whispered.

He reluctantly pulled away and they both walked downstairs. Amanda walked him to the car and watched as he drove off.

The grass looked fine, as good as it could be, so she carried the lawnmower to it's place. Her mother left to get the food, she ordered it from a local restaurant and she was supposed to be back soon.

Amanda looked at the clock, just a few more hours.

* * *

><p><em>Coming up: The funeral and the gathering after, sweet rollaro moments and more<em>


	6. Chapter 6

It was almost five, people were gathering at the plot. Nick showed up early too, he could see Amanda talking to a woman. She looked too young to be Amanda's mother, she had dark, shoulder length hair. Amanda was wearing a black button down dress which ended just below her knees, there was a belt tied into a bow around her waist. Her hair was down and he thought she looked so beautiful, even with the sadness he could see in her eyes.

He was about to walk to her when he heard a voice right behind him.

"Hey" Nick turned around "you work with Amanda in New York, right?"

"Yeah" Nick nodded, recognizing the man "Sam Reynolds, right? You were her captain down here"

"That's right" the two men shook hands "nice of you to come all the way here"

"Yeah, well, if it was possible then I wouldn't be the only one, but you know how it is with the job" Nick tried to sound casual.

"I sure do" Sam smiled "and with your best detective here…" he smiled looking at Amanda who was still talking to that woman, not looking at their direction.

Nick chuckled, he met Sam that one time a few years ago and it was for a very short time, so he didn't really have an opinion about him.

"I guess you don't know anybody here?" Sam asked him and Nick shook his head.

"Well that's" he gestured with his head at Amanda and the other woman "ADA Michaela Rogers and…" he looked around, looking for someone until he gestured at another woman "that's Louise, Amanda's mom"

The woman Sam was talking about looked pretty young too, and if Nick didn't know better he would have thought she was her sister. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun. Even though they looked a lot alike, she reminder him of Kim more than she did Amanda.

Amanda finally looked at his direction and she smiled a little when she caught his eyes. He raised his hand to wave at her and she waved back.

He didn't get a chance to talk to her since everybody started gathering so they could start.

During the whole time Nick didn't listen to the priest or notice anything but Amanda. She was looking down, barely moving. At one point her mother held on to her hand which seemed to rattle Amanda a bit. And Nick really wanted to walk over her and hug her. He hoped she would at least look up, see him, but her eyes stayed on the ground for the entire service.

After it was over Amanda's mom thanked some people for coming and invited them to the house. Amanda still seemed distant but the woman, the ADA, walked over to her and asked her something. Amanda nodded and then her mother joined them.

"You can follow me to the house" it was Reynolds again.

"Thanks" he turned to him. When Nick turned back he could see Amanda and her mom walking to a car.

* * *

><p>Nick didn't have to follow Sam since he knew how to get to Amanda's house, but he thought it was best not to tell him he was there yesterday.<p>

There were more people at the house than at the funeral. Sam was busy talking to someone and Nick was kind of happy about it, he hoped he'd get a chance to talk to Amanda.

He couldn't see her at first so he decided to wait until she showed up, he grabbed a glass of water and walked around.

He saw Amanda's mother by the kitchen, she was talking to an older woman.

"You know how it is" Louise said.

"Yes" the other woman agreed "and where is your daughter?"

"Amanda's somewhere around here" Louise replied.

"I meant Kimberly, haven't seen her for a long time" Nick was surprised by the question, he didn't talk about it to Amanda, but it wasn't something she could hide from her mother.

"You know how young people are, can't wait to get away" Louise smiled at her "Kim got a job at a hotel in the Bahamas and she couldn't get back here in time. She loves it there"

Nick did not expect that, was Kim really there? His thoughts were interrupted when somebody called him.

"Detective?" he turned around "detective Amaro, right?"

"Mr. Jones, how are you doing?" Nick recognized him right away, it was Larry Jones, he was in high school with Amanda "how is Cedric doing?"

Nick remembered how hard that case was on Amanda, she really wanted to help the kid, but failing really affected her.

"He's doing alright, it's not easy for him, football was his life but he's trying" Larry said.

"That's good" Nick smiled.

"I should go, I came to offer my condolences to Amanda"

"You've seen her?" Nick asked, he wondered where she's been.

"Just saw her outside" Larry let him know "it was nice to see you again"

"You too" Nick said before the other man walked away.

Nick made his way outside too, he wanted to see Amanda. She was there, somebody was talking to her, but by the time Nick got closer they'd left.

"Hey" he said and she turned to him.

"Hi" she smiled "sorry I didn't get to talk to you earlier" she was keeping her distance.

"Don't worry about it" he moved a little closer to her and was happy she didn't pull away. A part of him wanted to grab a hold of her, hold her tight, ask her to talk to him, tell him how she was feeling. She just looked so far away, like she was nowhere.

"Amanda" he heard a voice and they both turned around, it was the woman Amanda talked to at the funeral, the ADA.

"Michaela, this is detective Nick Amaro" she said "we work together in New York"

"Nice to meet you" she shook his hand "Michaela Rogers"

"Likewise" Nick smiled.

"Michaela grew up here" Amanda let him know "she lives in Atlanta now, she's an ADA there"

"You're old captain told me" Nick said.

Michaela's phone rang and she excused herself so she could answer.

"You talked to Sam?" Amanda asked him.

He nodded "saw Larry Jones too"

"Oh" Amanda looked away, Michaela walked back to them, holding her phone.

"Sorry" she looked at Nick "Henry asked to talk to you"

"Yeah?" she smiled, taking the phone "that's her son" she told Nick before saying hello to the boy on the other line.

She walked away a bit to talk to him.

"I'm gonna grab myself something to drink, want to join me?" she asked Nick. He nodded, hoping she could let him know how Amanda was doing.

When they walked into the house Amanda's mother was saying goodbye to some of the people, and Nick noticed that the house was almost empty now. He could see Sam there, talking with another man, Nick had a feeling he was a detective. He saw another man and two women, but they seemed to be leaving as well.

"I didn't get a chance to meet you yet" she turned to Nick, and for a moment he wasn't sure what to say.

Michaela helped him with that "this is detective Nick Amaro" she introduced Nick "he works with Amanda"

"I'm sure this young man doesn't need your help darling" she smiled bitterly at Michaela and Nick was caught off guard, but Michaela didn't seem rattled by it.

"Excuse me" she smiled at Nick and walked to the kitchen.

"So you work with my daughter in New York?" Louise asked.

"Yes. " he replied "it's nice to meet you Mrs. Ro…"

"Call me Louise" she told him and he smiled at her "why don't we sit down" she offered.

"Goodbye Louise" a woman said to her and Louise thanked her for coming before she made her way to the kitchen with Nick following her

The kitchen was empty, Michaela must have walked outside through the other door.

"Sit down" she sat down herself and Nick did the same. He tried to guess how old she was, in her early fifties probably.

"How is it like working with my daughter in the big apple?" she asked him.

"Amanda is a great detective" he smiled.

"She's not giving you any trouble, I hope" Nick wasn't sure if she was serious or only joking.

"Not at all" he smiled again, deciding Louise was kidding.

"That's good to know" her voice was a little too serious, and Nick wasn't sure how to respond to that "don't get me wrong" she said "I love my daughter, but Amanda can be a handful"

"You don't have to worry about her, we all love working with her" he assured.

"It's nice that you came, I'm sure you are a busy man"

"I'm glad I could come here"

"That is very nice of you to say, you seem like a very nice man" she smiled at him "I can tell your mama raised you right"

"I will tell her you said that" he felt a bit embarrassed "how are you doing with all this?" he asked.

"It's not easy" she shook her head a little "I don't know what Amanda had told you, but my husband left a long time ago" Nick nodded, not saying anything "but it's still hard, knowing he's dead"

"Of course" Nick agreed.

"Amanda must have been only nine when he left us" she let him know "and Kim was only four, she barely remembers him" She said Kim's name quietly, which didn't go unnoticed by Nick, but he decided not to mention it.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes "you know" Louise spoke "I think everyone are already gone, would you like me to show you some photos?"

"Sure" Nick was kind of excited about seeing Amanda's baby pictures, he knew Amanda would probably not show them to him herself.

Louise got up and came back after a few minutes. She was holding a box and placed it on the table.

"I'm sure Amanda didn't tell you this" she looked at him, lifting the lid from the box "but I had quite a modeling career when I was younger"

"Oh" again, Nick wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Look" she showed him a photo, it wasn't Amanda "this is me, I was just fifteen here, it was the first job I got, I was so excited to get paid" she laughed.

She showed him more pictures, and a few newspaper ads. He realized that she wasn't talking about Amanda's photos at all when she made the offer.

"What about Amanda's pictures?" He asked, he remembered she mentioned something about her mom taking her picture on Easter and Christmas.

"Amanda was never into this kind of things" she said, looking a little disappointed "I tried, even signed her up to a pageant but you know her, if you try to make her do something she doesn't feel like she makes a scene"

"I would love to see other pictures" he said.

"I can't remember where I put them" she shrugged "I tidied this place a while ago and I can't remember where I put some things, that's what happens when you get old" she smiled at him.

"I'm not sure I would call you old" he smiled.

"You're just too nice" she took off the lid again and searched for something "see this" she gave him a photo "this is the last photo shoot I did"

"The last one?" he asked.

"Yeah" she looked sad placing the picture back in the box "you know I had Amanda when I was sixteen" he had no idea but again, he just stayed silent "no one wanted a pregnant teenager to be a model and that was it" she looked away for a moment "you got kids?"

"Yes" Nick nodded "two of them"

"Children" she sighed "they can be…" she was looking down, her fingers going through the pictures inside the box "a handful" she chuckled.

Nick looked at her hands, something in the way she said it, she wasn't joking, did she really see her daughters as trouble? As something that ruined her career? Her life?

He didn't want to believe that, but he'd seen it before. No wonder Amanda didn't have it easy growing up.

They sat there quietly for a few more minutes when she finally stood up "I think I should go rest, it's been a long day"

"Of course" he stood up too and smiled at her.

The house seemed empty when they were back at the living room, Louise walked up stairs and Nick wanted to find Amanda.

He walked outside and saw Michaela, she was on the phone and didn't notice him. He walked around the house until he finally found her.

Amanda was sitting on the ground, leaning on the wall. Her fingers were playing with the grass.

"Hey" Nick walked over to her and sat down close. She didn't look at him, but to his surprise she moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. She took his left hand in her right one and entwined her fingers with his, placing his palm on her knee.

Nick squeezed her knee gently. He figured since everybody had left she didn't mind being close like this, and he was happy about it. There were many things he wanted to tell her, but at that moment he couldn't remember any of them. He just enjoyed the weight of her head leaning on him, the way her skin felt under his palm.

But then he said something, not even sure why he started with that "so your sister is in the Bahamas?"

She chuckled "that's my mom's excuse, not everyone know the whole story. People who do know, she told them she was released, I can't really follow the story anymore"

"Does she, know the whole truth?" he didn't want to move, not wanting to force her head away from the spot she seemed to like, so he kept his eyes on their entwined fingers.

"Parts of it" her left shoulder shrugged.

"We should send Tucker to look for her there, it will give us some time without him and he'd get a vacation"

"Yeah" she smiled "maybe it would help get the stick out of his ass"

Nick laughed at her comment, he moved his palm around her knee a little, looked at her bare calves, how they squashed the grass underneath them a little. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of his lips tasting that soft skin, his hands running up and down her legs. Just a few days ago she smiled at the way he made her feel doing just that.

He'd almost forgotten where they were when he heard something. It took him a moment to realize someone was calling Amanda.

It was Michaela. Amanda turned her head towards her but she didn't let go of Nick's hand, even though he expected her to.

"Sorry" she apologized "I was about to start cleaning up"

"I'll be right there" she smiled at her and Michaela walked away "it's alright" she looked into his eyes and he leaned to kiss her. Nick didn't care if she knew, it didn't matter to him. Sure, if someone in New York found out they would be in trouble, they've been hiding their relationship for a long time.

Amanda let go of his hand and got up slowly. He followed and they walked inside.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked once they walked into the living room.

She thought about it before answering "maybe you could pick up here"

"No problem" he nodded and watched her walking to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>When Amanda walked into the kitchen Michaela has been putting food into the fridge. She turned when she heard the other woman walk in.<p>

She looked at her without saying anything and Amanda just looked back, waiting for her to speak. She knew Michaela was someone she could trust, she wouldn't tell anyone about her and Nick, even though she could tell many people who Amanda had worked with.

"At least now I know why it's complicated" she finally said something. She took a tray and emptied the food into a box.

"Yeah" Amanda took out a bag and started throwing things into it.

Michaela didn't say anything else about it and Amanda was grateful for that. She felt tired, the day passed by so fast, as if she didn't even notice the time go by. A part of her felt like she wasn't there.

With the help of Michaela and Nick they were done pretty fast.

Michaela had to go back to Atlanta and Amanda thanked her for everything before walking her to the car.

Michaela waved at Nick and gave Amanda a hug before driving away.

"You look tired" Nick said when Amanda walked back to the front door.

"I'm gonna go to bed soon" she nodded.

"Want me to stay?" he offered.

"No" she shook her head, looking somewhat scared "it would be weird"

"Ok" he reached her arm to caress it "so I'll go back to the motel, will you call me before you go to sleep?" she nodded.

"Yeah? Promise me" he moved closer to her "I need to hear your voice"

"I promise I will call before I go to sleep" she assured him.

He nodded, gave her a quick kiss and reluctantly walked towards his car. She watched him opening the door and closing it after he sat down. She waved when he looked at her.

Her eyes followed the car as he drove off.

Amanda's knees felt weak all of the sudden, she walked inside quickly and sat down on the couch. She thought about taking a shower, but getting up felt so hard at that moment.

* * *

><p>The drive back to the motel didn't take long. It wasn't very far and the roads were pretty empty. He got back to the room and sat down on the bed. Maybe he shouldn't have left, he could have stayed on the couch. That wouldn't have to be weird, right?<p>

But he knew why Amanda preferred him not to stay, he understood her and had no plans to cause her more inconvenience with her mother. He wondered if she would ever talk to him about her childhood, there was so much he wanted to ask.

He decided to take a quick shower, not to miss her call.

But she didn't call and while he got dressed he thought maybe he shouldn't wait for her and dial, he could see she was putting up a wall, saying she was fine, smiling. Nick could see through it and he just wanted her to know that he's there, until she feels better.

He picked up the phone, but before he could even unlock it there was a knock at the door. Nick rushed to open it.

"Sorry I didn't call" Amanda said.


	7. Chapter 7

_As always, I really appreciate the reviews._

_So here's more Rollaro love, I think we need this after episode 8. _

* * *

><p>"Sorry I didn't call" Amanda said.<p>

Nick let her walk inside the room and closed the door "this is way better"

He watched her as her eyes ran over the room, as if she was examining it. They ended up focusing on him and he smiled.

"Come here" he walked over to her and embraced her, as if he was holding on to dear life.

He felt her arms wrap around him and he didn't want to ever let her go.

"I love you" he said.

"Yeah?" she whispered.

"Yeah" she could feel him nod.

"Good" Amanda pulled away a bit, just so she could look at him "cause I love you too"

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, but eventually they had to let go of each other.

"Can you talk to me?" he asked her, leading her to the bed so they could sit down.

"I'm not so sure what to say" she was still wearing the black dress, she took off her shoes and sat down more comfortably on the bed "I don't know how to feel"

He was about to tell her something when she spoke again "I went to a meeting"

"In Atlanta? That's good" he was happy to hear that.

"You know, all this time I don't think I've cried" Amanda let him know, she sounded somewhat upset about it "and I feel like I want to, but then I don't know why, why should I be upset a man I've known only for a few years is dead?" she looked into his eyes as if he could give her an answer.

"He's still your father"

"It makes it worse" she shrugged "these last few days, I've tried so hard to remember the good times we had in that house, and I just couldn't" she looked down on the bed, her fingers circling a pattern on the bedspread.

"The only happy memories I have" Amanda continued after a couple of minutes "are from times dad took me with him to gamble" she looked guilty.

"But a family that gambles together doesn't stay together" her voice was bitter and quiet "I just hate that it hurts"

"You loved your dad, that's not bad" he moved closer to her.

"I just don't know why" Nick appreciated Amanda's honesty. He was glad she could share even the painful thoughts with him, and he could do the same. The only problem with that was that sometimes he wanted to do more, listening wasn't enough. But there was nothing he could do, he hated seeing her hurting.

"I get that it's confusing" he said "but it will get clear, you will go back to New York, back to work"

"Yeah" Amanda nodded "you talk to my mom?" she added after a couple of seconds.

From the look in her eyes Nick knew she was hoping for a negative response, but he wasn't going to lie about it "yeah"

"Hmm" she didn't know what to say.

"Wasn't easy with her, was it? When you were a kid" she didn't answer "not easy now"

"I'm used to it" she shrugged as if it was nothing.

"You know" Nick wasn't sure if this was the best time to bring this up "Kim told me this story how some guy was hurting her and you threatened him with a gun"

"She remembered that?" Amanda asked "she was so young"

"So were you" he smiled at her "she said that it wasn't boring"

Amanda chuckled "I wanted boring, I wanted a boring family so bad"

They sat in silence for some time. Amanda's eyes were focused on the bed, she looked like she was reminiscing on the boring family wishes.

Nick didn't have it easy as a kid too, not when his father was around. But he had his mom, and she showed him nothing but affection.

"Amanda" he called for her attention "I'm sorry but can I ask you something?"

She nodded, not sure what to expect.

"Did she really sign you up for a pageant?" he felt really guilty for asking, he felt bad just for wanting to know. Her eyes widened a little and he cursed himself, why would he say something about it now?

"She told you that?" he nodded and was relieved when she smiled a little "I don't remember much, just that I hated it, really _hated_ it" she let out a laugh.

"I shouldn't have asked" he apologized.

"It's ok" she smiled and he decided not to ask anything else about her mother, if she'd ever want to tell him more he would listen.

He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes "you want to stay here tonight?" Nick was happy to see her nod, he had to go back to New York the following day and wanted to spend the night with her.

He figured she drove over to him without bringing anything with her. He packed just for one night and was already dressed for bed.

"Why don't you sleep in this" Nick took off his shirt and handed it to her, for a while she just stared at it, held on to it, like she had no idea what it was for.

"Amanda?" he caressed her cheek.

It seemed like it brought her back from her thoughts and she nodded. He reached to the belt and untied the bow. She seemed to like that and when his face was less than an inch away from hers Amanda moved so her cheek touched his, feeling his skin against hers.

Nick turned his head and kissed her, her fingers moved to the top button and he followed with his eyes as she unbuttoned the dress. She moved slowly and he decided to help her out and unbuttoned the lowest one, grazing her knees, his fingers reaching the next button.

He liked the closeness between them, loved looking into her eyes, even though they were still sad at the moment.

When they were done he looked into her eyes again and slowly pushed the dress off of her shoulders. Once her arms were out of the sleeves she put on Nick's shirt and threw the dress to the side.

He got up to move the bedspread and they both got into the bed. She rested her head on his chest and covered them with the blanket. Nick's arms were around her and she closed her eyes, falling asleep.

* * *

><p>When Nick woke up Amanda was still in his arms. He tightened his grip around her.<p>

"Morning" she whispered.

"You're already up?" Nick was surprised, he was certain she was still asleep "slept well?"

He felt her nod and then she moved closer to his face. Nick smiled at her and she kissed him.

"You've got to leave soon, right?" Amanda kissed him again.

"My flight's at eleven, I wish I could stay longer"

"No" she shook her head "you should go back, I think I'm gonna fly back soon myself, I can't wait to get to New York"

"I can't wait for you to be back" it wasn't just that he'd missed her, it was the fact she looked so… absent maybe, as if she felt out of place here.

She will always have a place with him. He'd make sure of that.

* * *

><p>The two of them have spent a little more time in bed and then Nick went outside to get them some breakfast. They ate quietly and after they were done Amanda put her dress back on and drove to the house. Her mom wasn't up yet, a fact that didn't bother Amanda at all. She really wasn't planning on staying much longer, she wished she could just fly back with Nick, but that wasn't possible.<p>

Amanda closed the bedroom door and quickly changed her clothes. She put on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt. Her phone buzzed, it was a text from Michaela, checking in on her.

Amanda dialed her number "how are you?" she heard Michaela's voice on the other line.

"I'm alright" she replied.

"You gonna be heading back to New York soon?"

"Can't get there fast enough" Amanda chuckled "I should book a flight"

"Well, listen" Michaela said "if you want to you can come stay here before the flight, I'm sure you've had enough bonding with your mom"

Amanda smiled "I'll call you, thanks Mic"

She walked down to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. There was nothing else for her to do in Atlanta anymore. Her father was buried, the detective didn't need her help. And she really wanted to leave.

Amanda found a flight to New York at five PM.

She heard a noise from the living room "good morning mom" she smiled at her when she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning darling" Louise pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Want me to make you something to eat?" Amanda asked her.

"An omelet would be nice"

"Ok mom" Amanda opened the fridge to find the eggs "I'm flying back at five"

"Already?"

"I have to get back to work" she put the pan on the stove.

"Of course you do" Louise said but Amanda didn't react "I'm sure they can manage without you, I've met your coworker, what's his name?"

"Nick" the food was ready after a few minutes and she put it on a plate.

"Yeah, that's it, thank you" Louise said "maybe I could get a fork as well?"

"Sure mom" Amanda smiled, turning back to get a fork. She handed it to her mother and sat down in front of her.

"I'm gonna leave soon, I've got some things to do in Atlanta" Amanda let her know.

"I see" Louise finished the omelet before she continued talking, looking at Amanda "I guess I should thank you for coming here, helping out"

Amanda didn't say anything, she took the empty plate and washed it.

"Take care of yourself, ok mom?" Amanda turned to look at her.

* * *

><p>Amanda packed her things and said goodbye to her mother again. Driving to Atlanta felt good. She spent some time with Michaela and her son, it's been a long time since she'd last seen Henry, he was a funny kid and she had a great time with the two of them.<p>

"We will drive Amanda to the airport soon" Michaela told Henry.

"Can I drive?" the kid asked "Daddy taught me"

Michaela and Amanda exchanged a look "I think it's better if your mom does that Henry"

"Ok" Henry ran to his room leaving the two women alone.

"Jack took him driving?" Amanda asked.

"I think he's a little sorry about it now, he keeps on asking him when they can do that again" Michaela laughed.

"Jack's a good dad"

"He is, he's a good man"

"Thank him for the car again for me" Amanda said.

"Sure, he was happy to help"

Henry came back carrying a box "can I show Amanda my ships?"

"He's into ships right now" Michaela whispered.

"Ships are cool" Amanda smiled at Henry.

After a while they put the toys back in the box since they had to leave. They drove her to the airport and Amanda thanked them again before walking inside. She couldn't wait to be back in New York.

* * *

><p><strong>-One month later-<strong>

* * *

><p>"You want pasta?" Nick asked. They were on the way back to the station after talking to a witness. Since they were alone he didn't mind making dinner plans.<p>

"Huh?" she asked, still focused on the short interrogation they were just done with.

"Dinner" Nick looked at her "you feel like having pasta?"

"Pasta?" she smiled "you're really bringing the Cuban and Italian flavors"

"You've got a problem with my cooking?" Nick tried to look serious but couldn't stop the smile appearing on his face.

Amanda opened the car's door "your cooking ain't bad"

"Well I can't deprive you from my 'ain't bad' cooking" he sat down and looked at her.

"At least pasta's easy to make cause I have plans to _make_ something else tonight" Amanda raised her eyebrows a little and smiled at him before they drove off.

It was the gorgeous smile he loved so much. Her eyes lit up, her whole face did. It got his heart beating faster. He was happy things were back to normal.

The first week after she got back he still felt like her mind was somewhere else. She kept on checking her phone, expecting a call from the detective in charge of the case. Amanda told Nick about him, but since she didn't know him well there wasn't much to say.

Nick kept on seeing her as a teenage girl waiting for a guy to call her after their first date, throwing glances at the phone, making sure she had no missed calls, staring at it hoping it rings. Maybe it was a stupid image, but Nick couldn't get it off his head. He didn't say anything, she wouldn't have liked that. But as the days passed it lessened. Amanda didn't bother carrying her phone everywhere. If she had left it in the bedroom while they were watching TV she didn't go unless it rang.

A part of him was happy about it, she was letting it go, she seemed so much better, happier, not so lost like she was in Georgia.

But he knew how much she longed for a closure, who could blame her? Amanda wanted to know who killed her father, she deserved that. There were so many things she was deprived of when it concerned him, and it looked as if knowing what had happened would be too.

There was nothing he could do, he was certain the APD was doing everything in their power to find the person behind it. But both Nick and Amanda knew how some cases could get cold fast, with no evidence, no witnesses, nothing that points at any direction. And it seemed this case was freezing. From the little Amanda did get he understood that any attempt to find somebody who'd known the man in the last years has failed. They had nothing.

But even though not knowing wasn't easy on her, Amanda was doing her best to go on with her life. At her first day back at work she thanked everybody for their concern and went straight to work, asking to be briefed about the case.

And things between the two of them were good. She wasn't distant. They'd spent Friday night together. She wasn't entirely focused on Nick, but that was because Frannie had missed her and didn't want to be away from her owner.

And now, a month later, they were driving to the precinct, making dinner plans. Things were really good.

* * *

><p>They enjoyed both cooking and eating the pasta. Washing the dishes was fun too, this time Nick was in charge of the washing while Amanda distracted him. They watched something on TV afterwards. Nick was sitting on the couch and Amanda was on the other side, her feet in his lap. Nick's fingers were playing with her toes and she turned to look at him, a wide grin on her face.<p>

"I thought you had plans" he raised her foot, kissing it "to _make_ something?" he kissed it again and turned to look at her, she was still wearing that beautiful smile. Nick lowered her leg back on the couch and moved so he ended up above her feet. He leaned down to kiss each of them and made his way up, kissing her left ankle, moving up, rubbing her legs above her jeans until he reached her knees. He looked at her and was happy to see the yearning in her eyes, her breath was getting a little heavier. Nick really wanted to kiss her but decided it would have to wait. He leaned down again, moving his hands over her thighs. His fingers reached the waistband of her jeans and he slowly opened the first button. He could feel her stirring underneath him.

Nick's lips moved towards her lower stomach and his fingers followed so he could free her from the shirt. He loved popping the buttons, exposing her skin and then tasting it. He tried to go slow, enjoying the way she felt, the way she made him feel.

He reached the last button and let his lips and tongue explore her collar bone, moving up to her neck and then finally to her lips. She eagerly welcomed his tongue and he took that time to discard her shirt completely. She sat up a little to help him with the task.

Nick's mouth moved to her neck again, his hands going around her back so he could take off her bra. When he was done with that he pulled her closer.

"I love you Nick" she whispered in his ear, as his lips were still on her neck.

"Yeah?" he stopped and looked into her eyes.

"Yeah" Amanda nodded, trying to reach his lips with hers.

"Good" he moved away just so he could finish the sentence "cause I love you too" he closed the gap and let her hands move under his shirt, loving how her palms touching his skin made him feel.

* * *

><p>They were at work the next morning, efficiently hiding the events of the night before, but not in any way forgetting about it, and in everyway wanting to do that again.<p>

"So the DNA's back?" Amanda asked Fin, he just got off the phone with the lab.

"Yep" he nodded "and it's a match"

"Good news" Nick said "we got him"

"I'll let Barba know so we can get the arrest warrant" Fin said "and then I'm on my way to arrest the son of a bitch"

Nick glanced at Amanda and smiled. Her phone rang and she answered.

"Rollins"

"It's detective Marlow" she heard the voice on the other side.

"Detective Marlow" she was looking down at her desk and missed the look on Nick's face "is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm calling to let you know we've got something" he said "we've found something about your father"


	8. Chapter 8

Amanda wasn't sure she heard right, but then Marlow repeated his words and it was clear, they got something.

"Detective Rollins?" Marlow asked since she still hasn't said anything.

"Sorry, I'm here" she answered "you got news about the case?" she stood up and walked further away so she could have some privacy.

Nick and Fin exchanged a curious look, wondering what was going on.

"Yeah" Marlow replied "we've got something"

* * *

><p>Marlow was at his desk, having lunch, some tasteless rice he'd made the night before. His wife was away on business, and since she was the one in charge of the cooking, he had to take care of it by himself.<p>

It was a slow day, his partner, Johnson, was out for lunch. They've been partners for just over a year and they got along pretty well, mostly because they didn't care too much about each other's personal life, they were partners, not best friends, and it worked fine for both of them.

Marlow appreciated that, his last partner was a chatty one and unlike how it seems on TV, they didn't compliment each other, it wasn't funny, they didn't become friends.

No, Marlow hated working with him, and made sure to mention that to his captain any chance he got. It was Captain Sam Reynolds who ended up solving the problem. Marlow's partner was transferred to sex crimes and Johnson moved to homicide. That was the reason he liked Reynolds, and that was why, after finding out the dead man in the alley was the father of a former APD detective, and one who had worked with Reynolds, he called him.

His phone rang and he answered, hoping he would get some good news "Marlow" he finished chewing the rice.

"This is detective Walters, I'm from robbery"

"Yeah?" Marlow asked.

"We got a call yesterday, a break in to an apartment, we checked the prints and they match something you are working on" the other man stopped talking.

"Ok" not appreciating the dramatic pose.

"We had found the finger prints of Edward Rollins"

This was something. Marlow sat up straight "and who lives in that apartment?"

"Joseph Avery" Walters replied "we are still trying to locate him"

"Well when did this happen?"

"The landlord called us yesterday, said the apartment was fine just three days earlier and…"

"So you've found Rollins' fingerprints in that apartment, and you think he had something to do with a robbery? You do realize I'm from homicide, right?" he had no time to waste on what was probably a mix up at the lab "and the murder we are investigating is his, so I doubt he robbed that place, and ghosts do not leave fingerprints, as far as I know"

Marlow nodded at Johnson who just got back.

"I know but it has to mean something, at least come check out the apartment…" Marlow rolled his eyes at Johnson who smiled at him.

"Call me when you find this Avery guy, I would like to have a word with him" Marlow said and hung up without giving the other detective a chance to respond "looks like our dead body visited another crime scene a few days ago" he let Johnson know.

"Who was on the phone?" Johnson asked.

"Walters from robbery, probably a rookie, I bet he thinks this is some kind of conspiracy, I swear… the guy is dead, has been dead for three weeks"

"We've got to at least check it out" Johnson shrugged "cover our bases"

Marlow took one look at the leftover rice in the bowl, the sticky white grains were in no way appetizing, maybe rubbing it in that rookie's face would be fun, he couldn't deny he liked the though of teaching this detective a few facts.

Like how dead bodies can't commit crimes.

* * *

><p>"I was surprised to hear from you" Walters smiled at the two senior detectives, as Marlow had guessed, he was young, a rookie.<p>

"We thought it wouldn't be a bad idea if we check it out" Johnson smiled back "so why don't you show us to the apartment"

"Follow me" he opened the door for them.

It was a small building, it was a not a shady street, but not one you'd want your family to live in. They made their way to the sixth floor by foot, no elevator. The building was quiet, and Walters told them that most of the apartments were actually empty. Most of the tenants lived in the first two floors.

"This is it" he gestured at the door "I've called the landlord, he should be here soon with the key"

"You said he was the one to report the break in?" Marlow asked and the other man nodded.

"Why did he check in on the tenant?" it was Johnson's turn to say something.

"Rent, he told me Joseph Avery paid on time and when he didn't show up to pay he had to have a look, see if he's ok. Here he is" he said and Marlow and Johnson turned to look at the man who was walking towards them.

"Hello" he was a little out of breath, probably from climbing the stairs "Michael Archer" he extended his hand to each of the men "nice to meet you"

"Can you open the door please" Walters asked "so my fellow detectives could check out the crime scene"

"No problem" he took out a key and let them in.

It was a one bedroom apartment, pretty small, but not tiny. It was a mess, broken furniture, clothes on the floor. Actually, it looked as if whatever wasn't screwed to the wall was tossed on the floor.

"So you were here a few days ago?" Johnson asked "and it wasn't like this"

"Oh no sir" the landlord replied "Mr. Avery kept it neat and clean"

"Why did you come here then?" Marlow questioned.

"He has never been late on rent before" he looked away for a moment "well, not without telling me, but he always ended up paying"

"He wasn't here then?" Michael shook his head "and you checked on him again after three days?" Michael nodded.

"There are no security cameras" Walters added, but Marlow wasn't surprised by this.

"Any witnesses?" He asked Walters.

"Sorry, nothing" Walters apologized.

"Well" Johnson took out his phone "Mr. Archer, have you ever seen this man?" he searched the photo of Edward Rollins, just to make sure "here" he showed him the picture.

"Oh my god" Michael's face turned pale "is he dead?" Johnson nodded, they had no other pictures of Rollins.

"You recognize him?" Marlow repeated.

"Yes" Michael turned to Walters "this is Joseph Avery"

Johnson and Marlow exchanged a look. Dead people can't commit crimes but they can be victims to one.

* * *

><p>Since CSU have already been through the crime scene Marlow and Johnson started looking around straight away, trying to find anything to help in the case. The fact he had another name was a big deal, but first they had to check the apartment.<p>

"So this complicates your investigation" Walters said while picking up clothes off of the floor and checking the pockets.

"Hey Marlow, why don't you go see if the landlord has got something for us" Johnson offered, knowing he wasn't a very patient man when it got to over excited rookies. And since the landlord was down at his office, looking for anything he had about Avery, somebody had to check in on him.

Marlow made his way down to the office, where Michael Archer was looking for something in his drawers.

"Sorry" he stopped when Marlow walked in "I'm not the most organized person"

"Don't worry about it, have you found anything? You said he paid cash?"

"Yes" Archer nodded "for the last three years, since he moved in but I'm pretty sure he gave me a check once, as I mentioned upstairs"

"Can I help you with the search?" Marlow offered.

"Be my guest" the landlord smiled and gestured at a box on the floor "I've already looked through this one and the drawers here" he pointed at his desk.

"So I will start on this" the detective walked to the drawers unit "so how well did you know this guy?" Archer was not kidding about not being organized, all of the papers were just thrown in there.

"Just a little, he wasn't a chatty guy"

"But you two must have chatted about something, I mean he had lived here for three years" Marlow glanced at him "job, family?"

"Never mentioned a family, and I've never seen him with a special someone" he winked at Marlow, which the other man didn't like.

"He told me he was in sales, didn't elaborate though"

Louise Rollins told him that before he'd left he did some temporary things, never had a steady job.

"Anyone ever came asking questions about him? You ever seen him with anyone?"

Archer stopped looking and tried to think about it "not that I remember" he shrugged.

The search was leading nowhere, Marlow was still going through the first drawer, maybe he should threaten him with an IRS inspection as a punishment for the mess.

Half an hour later Johnson and Walters joined them and the four of them have been looking for anything about Avery.

"Got something" it was Johnson, and Marlow really hoped he did, he had enough of looking at the papers.

"What is it?"

"Looks like a copy of a check" Johnson replied and showed it to Marlow.

"I knew it was here" Michael said "it was the only time he paid like that"

"Ok" Marlow nodded "we will take this and call you if we need anything else"

"No problem"

Marlow put the paper in his pocket and they walked out to the street.

"I would love to help out" Walters offered.

"We've got it" Marlow smiled "if we need anything we'll be in touch"

* * *

><p>Johnson and Marlow drove to the bank the following day. They gave the information to the manager who asked them to wait while he checked the it for them.<p>

"Here it is" he typed something into his computer "looks like Joseph Avery's account was opened three years ago and closed just two months later"

"How much money was in it?" Johnson asked.

"2500" the manager replied and looked at them "he withdrew all of the money, but he got a safety deposit box that day"

"Has he been paying for it until now?" it was Johnson again.

The manager nodded "yes"

"We need to see it" Marlow said "it's included in the warrant"

"That would not be a problem" the manager got up "if you follow me I would be glad to open it for you"

The detectives walked after him to the room and watched as he took out the box.

"This is it" he unlocked it "should I open it?" they nodded and he lifted the lid.

"This is just great" Marlow said once it was open.

The box was empty.

"You have any idea what he kept in here?" Johnson wasn't surprised when the manager shook his head, of course he had no idea.

"How about the last time he was here? You know that?" Marlow tried.

"Let me look into it" he closed the box "can I put this back?"

"Sure" Marlow nodded and watched as the manager placed the safety deposit box in it's place.

The detectives followed him out of the room and he asked them to wait in his office. He came back a few minutes later.

"So I have the information you've requested" he said "this is the last time he was here, the last time he'd made a payment for the box" ha handed them a list.

"This is it?" Marlow pointed on the last line.

"Yes"

Johnson and Marlow exchanged a look. Rollins was at the bank just four days before he was killed.

"We're gonna have to check your security cameras" Marlow let him know.

* * *

><p>"So he'd been living in Atlanta for the last three years?" Amanda wasn't sure what to think, her father had been using a fake name.<p>

"Yeah" she focused on Marlow's voice "my partner checked with the FBI, turns out the real Joseph Avery is an eighty one year old man living in a retirement home in Florida, they will look into it. But the thing is, someone broke into his apartment"

"Oh" Amanda had no idea what to say, she wasn't even sure she was surprised by this, she didn't know her father at all.

"We managed to find some footage from the bank, I'm going to send it to you, if you're interested"

"Sure" she replied and gave him her email address "and thank you for updating me"

"No problem, I will call you when we have more"

Amanda got back to her computer so she could check her inbox.

"What's going on?" Fin asked.

"That was the detective in charge of the investigation" she answered "he sent me some footage of my dad"

Marlow's email contained the video as well as the exact times she could see him.

Both Nick and Fin walked over to her desk, she didn't mind them seeing it. It actually felt better watching it with others.

She clicked on the file and the bank appeared on the screen, people were walking in and out. Amanda moved it forward until she could see him.

The man walked inside the bank, he was wearing black pants and a dark blue jacket, no hat, nothing that covered his face. It was clearly him.

She fast forwarded it until he appeared again. He had nothing with him when he walked inside but now he held a bag in his hand. It was medium size, she could see he held on tightly to it. And then he was gone.

Amanda stopped the video. She looked at the frozen picture on the screen. Her thoughts might have been scattered, she had no idea what to think about this man. But one thing she did know, she knew what a man walking out of a bank had in previously empty bag.

Money.

Looked like a lot of it.

What was he involved in?

* * *

><p><em>Hope you're ready for more drama, more Rollaro too<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_Here's a quick update for you _

* * *

><p>It must have been always about money for him. He always wanted more of it, even when he won, it had never been enough.<p>

"At least it's something" Nick said, she'd been staring at the computer screen and he just wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Yeah" she turned abruptly "it's a good sign, at least they know who he'd been for the last three years" she got up, wanting some coffee.

Nick and Fin followed her with their eyes as she poured hot water to a cup, she added some sugar and stirred it.

She looked at her right hand as it twirled the spoon. It calmed her down, to be focused on something else, something simple such as sugar dissolving in the water. Everything else was complicated. That's how things were with her family, always complicated.

She took a sip of the coffee, too sweet. How much sugar did she put in there?

"Barba just called" Liv walked out of her office "he got the warrant and you can go arrest out suspect"

"Can't wait, you want to stay here?" he turned to Amanda "I don't mind taking Amaro"

Amanda shook her head "I'll go"

She appreciated the distraction, she needed it. The case kept her busy, Amanda had no time to think about her father until she finally got home.

Nick said he'd come by with take out, real take out this time, she wasn't in the mood to cook. He showed up just a short time after Amanda and Frannie got back from a walk.

"Want a beer?" she asked Nick, he was setting the table while she walked to the kitchen to get herself something to drink.

"No" he smiled at her "I'm gonna take a sip of yours"

True to his word Nick ended up taking a few sips of her beer. But Amanda didn't mind sharing, she barely even drank it.

They ate quietly, Nick wondered whether he should ask her about the video, she hadn't mentioned it since this morning, and he wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"What?" she asked when she caught him staring "I got something on my face?" she put down the box and reached for a napkin.

He shook his head as she wiped her mouth.

Amanda leaned back on the couch, she didn't grab the take out box and just kept her eyes on Nick.

"You're done?" her box was still half full, and he knew very well she loved the noodles he bought.

"I'm not really hungry" her tone was apologetic "I'm pretty tired so I'm gonna take a quick shower and go to sleep"

Amanda got up from the couch and took the leftovers to the kitchen. On her way back she avoided Nick on purpose, she could feel his eyes on her as she placed the box on the counter not wanting to put it in the fridge while it was still warm. And he didn't take his eyes off her while she made her way to the bathroom. She just didn't feel like talking about it now, what was there to say?

Nick must have cleaned up because when she stepped out of the room the table was empty and the leftovers were in the fridge. She smiled as she made her way to the bedroom.

He was already lying in bed when she walked in "hey" she set down on the bed and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"You smell good" Nick whispered, he watched as she sat up a little so she would be able to take off her earrings. He followed her hands as they placed the earrings on the bedside table. Nick felt his eyes getting heavier, he must have not realized how tired he had been. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Something woke Nick up. He could tell it was late as it was still dark outside. He turned around to look at Amanda.<p>

"What are you doing?" he whispered, Amanda was sitting up, a computer in her lap. The light coming out of the screen illuminated her face in the dark room.

"Did I wake you up?" she turned to him.

"No" he sat up next to her so he could see what she was watching. It didn't surprise him, it was the video footage from the bank.

"What time is it?" he asked, he really wanted to ask her how many times she'd watched it.

"A little after 2" she replied.

"Amanda" his voice was a whisper "come on, go to sleep"

"Soon" she said "I'll go to the living room so I won't bother you" Amanda was about to move but Nick caught her hand.

"Don't go" he reached for the lap top "it's really late, you can watch this tomorrow"

"No" she sat up a little straighter "maybe I've missed something, go back to sleep, I won't bother you"

"You never bother me" he smiled "but come on, you must have watched this a hundred times, I'm sure there's nothing you could have missed"

She wanted to protest but changed her mind, she didn't even notice how late it was until Nick asked her about the time. She closed the laptop and the room went dark in an instant. After placing it on the bedside table she lay down and Nick did the same.

"You're okay?" he caressed her cheek.

"Yeah, I just lost track of time" she moved closer to him and her lips touched his bare shoulder.

"Look at me" he whispered and she did exactly that, their eyes met and then he moved closer so their lips could meet too.

She took a deep breath once his lips separated from hers "I guess I just wanted to see him, I'm probably not gonna get anything else" she tried to smile "unless he went to another bank"

It was meant as a joke but it didn't make him feel better, because he knew she tried to mask her feelings again, he knew she really wanted more, another keepsake from her father.

"I think he was involved in something bad, it's pretty clear, but I'm still disappointed" her eyes stayed away but she reached his chest with her hand "somewhere in the back of my mind I just had this stupid hope he might…" she didn't have to say it, Nick reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles, kept his lips there for a long time.

"Let's go to sleep" she whispered.

* * *

><p>A few more days have passed and Amanda did her best to keep her mind on work, not to think about the fact Marlow hasn't called again. It made no sense, they managed to find out he had a fake identity, to find out he walked out of a bank with what seemed like a large sum of money. And now nothing? Marlow was known as a good detective, he must have put two and two together, whoever broke into the apartment was probably looking for the money. It was probably connected to gambling. So how couldn't they find more?<p>

Even though Nick was right about the video, there was nothing she could have missed, she watched it over and over again, as if something would pop up. It was a waste of time though, it was just a man walking into a bank and leaving a while later.

"Just call him" Nick's voice brought her back from her thoughts.

She gave him a questioning look "what?" she wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"The detective" he explained "just call him"

"No" she shook her head and grabbed the glass of water from the table. She didn't drink though, just held it.

"I need to say something" she raised her eyes from the glass to his face "I can see what this is doing to you, Amanda, you've been…"

She shook her head and got up, not really wanting to hear more but Nick wasn't about to give up.

"Hey, Amanda" he followed her to the kitchen "listen to me" his voice was soft, he took the glass from her and put it on the counter.

"I'm worried about you" his right hand gently rubbed her left arm "I know you've watched that video so many times now, I know it's hard for you and I wish there was something I could do, but…"

Amanda looked away and Nick moved closer to her "maybe if you call him, maybe they do have something"

She gave him a little smile "I hate it when you're being so sweet" she said "makes it hard being mad at you"

"You want to be mad at me?" his eyes widened a little but he had a smile on his face.

"Yeah" Amanda nodded "cause you're right"

"Now I'm really worried, you think I'm right?" he walked even closer to her.

"I just hate it so much" she said seriously "this whole situation…you're right, I should just call him and hear what he has to say, I just don't want to hear that there's nothing"

"I understand" Amanda leaned into him and he hugged her.

* * *

><p>The following day Amanda decided not to call Marlow, not because she changed her mind about finding out what's going on, but because she was afraid there was a reason he hadn't called her, something felt off. She could have called Sam, but it didn't feel right as well.<p>

There was someone else she could talk to.

"Hey" Amanda heard the voice on the other line "how's it going?"

"Hey Mic, I kinda need your help" Amanda said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"It's the investigation" she replied "Marlow promised to keep me in the loop, he sent me this video and I've heard nothing since…"

"You want me to look into it?"

"I would really appreciate it, I don't know if it would be weird to call Marlow"

"Don't worry about it" Michaela said "I know some people in homicide"

"Thanks Mic"

"No problem, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright" they chatted for a while until Michaela had to go back to work.

As Amanda placed the phone on the table she really hoped Michaela would be able to help.

* * *

><p>"Looks like I'm gonna be in court the whole day tomorrow" Amanda let Nick know before she took a bite of the salad.<p>

"Barba and Liv were talking about this case today, he said that guy got himself a new lawyer, some shark"

"That's gonna be fun" she frowned "just what I need, some fancy lawyer trying to make me look bad"

"It's weird how I can never get used to it, I know it's their job but it's just so annoying" the salad bowl was empty so he stole some of Amanda's plate.

"Careful" Amanda smiled at him "what if they ask me if I ever saw you commit a crime, stealing is illegal"

"I'll just have to make it up to you" he finished eating and placed the empty plate on the table.

"I guess so" Amanda was about to add something when her phone buzzed.

It was Michaela.

Amanda looked at it for a moment, as if she wasn't sure whether she should answer, not sure if she wanted to know if Michaela found out anything. But what if she couldn't?

She could feel Nick's eyes on her, she didn't tell to him about her phone call to Michaela, it hadn't come up and Amanda had no idea she would get back to her so fast.

"I should take this" she half whispered without looking at him. Amanda took the phone and waited another second before answering.

"Amanda" she heard Michaela's voice.

"Hey"

"Listen" Michaela said "I looked into it and well…there is something"

"Ok" Amanda felt nervous, something about Michaela's tone was different.

Nick thought Amanda might feel more comfortable without him staring at her so he took the dishes to the kitchen and petted Fannie.

But he was worried, at first Amanda just listened, she nodded a couple of times, but then, all of the sudden, she got up and started rambling "what? No that's…what does that mean? They think I…I don't know…no…" Nick had no idea what was going on, Amanda didn't make one complete sentence. He walked over to her, gave her a questioning look but she didn't respond, she was focused on the conversation with Michaela.

"Yeah, I know" she bit her lip "no, I'm glad you did, thank you…it's fine, yeah….no…I'm fine…" between each word Michaela told her something, but Nick couldn't hear it and he got more and more worried.

"Ok, bye" Amanda was about to end the call "and thanks again…yeah, you too"

He gave her a moment before asking about it.

Amanda looked at him and shrugged "so the detectives managed to find a few things" she let him know "turns out he bought a plane ticket to New York, he was supposed to depart two days before he…and the flight back was just one day before that"

"So he was here?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, Michaela said they've been having problems getting more information from the airline company, she wasn't sure what's going on with that, but…" she sat down on the couch and Nick joined her "they think I might have something to do with it, that there's something I'm not telling them"

"But that's not true" he had no doubt about that "he sent you the video, they know you there"

"He sent me the video before they found out about the ticket" she shrugged again "why would he come here? It wasn't for me, he didn't come here looking for me"

"But that's what they think?" she nodded, Michaela said they were still looking into it, some of the records about the flight were missing and the detectives have been trying to locate them.

"She knows which flight it was? We could get the security footage, see if we could find him" he suggested.

"She couldn't get all the details, I guess I'm gonna have to wait until they interrogate me" she chuckled.

"Give them a chance to figure things out, it is weird they're having trouble getting the records"

"I'm sure that just makes me look more innocent" she rolled her eyes.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Amanda got up "I'm going to bed" she told him.

He joined her after a short time. She was already under the covers and he smiled as he got inside and

covered himself with the blanket.

Nick's mouth found her lips "good night" he said.

"Good night" she gave him a little smile, he knew she just wanted to reassure him she was ok, but he knew better, he was pretty certain this night wouldn't be good for her.

Nick was right, he might have slept pretty well, but looking at her in the morning it was clear she barely got any sleep. She changed the subject when he mentioned it "I need to focus on the trial" she said "we'll talk later"

"Alright" he nodded, he had to be at the station and she had to go to the courthouse "I will see you later" he kissed her before walking towards the door, she still had to take Frannie for a walk. Nick gave her another kiss before leaving, a steamy one just cause he really felt like it, she had a beautiful smile on her face when he pulled away.

* * *

><p>Nick was exhausted, it had been a rough day. With Amanda in court he and Fin had a lot of work to do. They were looking for a suspect who had managed to disappear every time they were close. He didn't even get a chance to talk to Amanda. He asked Liv if Barba had mentioned anything but she hadn't talked to him.<p>

It was pretty late when they finally caught the perp, and when they were back at the precinct Liv briefed them about the trial, it didn't go very well, the lawyer did his best to hurt the credibility of the victim. Nick texted Amanda to make sure she was alright. She sent him a text a couple of minutes later, she had a GA meeting. He was so tired he decided to go back to his place tonight. Lately he's been spending almost every night at Amanda's apartment and he loved it. It felt good to fall asleep next to her, to wake up next to her. But he didn't have a key and if he had to wait by her building he would just fall asleep in his car. He texted her that they would see each other tomorrow but if she wanted to she could call him later.

* * *

><p>Amanda's testimony went quite well, the lawyer tried to make it sound unreliable but she didn't fall for any of his tricks. She felt bad for the young girl, Barba had worked with her, but she crumpled on the stand. It was hard to watch, that guy hurt her once, took away a part of her, and he managed to do it again – only because he had money. He could afford himself a good lawyer.<p>

At least it kept her mind off of her dad and his apparent visit to New York. Why would he come here? Did it have anything to do with her? Michaela didn't call again, neither did anyone from the APD. She needed a meeting.

The meeting went well and she felt better afterwards. She took a cab there and she decided to walk a little before going back home. She took out her phone so she could text Nick. But she didn't get the chance.

* * *

><p>"She is walking out now" a man was looking at Amanda as she walked out of the meeting "you were right" he said to the person on the other line.<p>

He watched as she turned to a different street and followed her with his car "alright, we'll do it" he ended the call and kept on driving. She turned to another street, a small one. It looked perfect for their plan.

"Make sure no one's around" he said to the man sitting in the back sit "I'll get her".

He stopped the car and grabbed the pipe from the sit. The man walked outside quietly, he could see she took out her phone. But he didn't give her a chance to use it, he ran fast and hit her in the head.

It wasn't too strong, he only had to make sure she blacks out, and it was no problem for him.

The other man drove towards them and he opened the trunk so they could get the woman inside. He shut the door and they drove off quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

_It's gonna take a while until I upload the next chapter, I need to work on my other fic :) _

_Let me know if you like it_

* * *

><p>It took a moment for Nick to realize he was in his bedroom, in his house. Without Amanda.<p>

The bed felt empty.

He rubbed his eyes a little, letting himself wake up slowly. It was still early but he got up anyway, he'd slept for a long time. Nick reached to his phone, no missed calls or texts from Amanda. He was somewhat disappointed, he hoped she'd at least sent him a text to say everything was fine. But Nick figured she was probably tired herself, with everything that's been going on with investigation about her father, and she had a long day in court yesterday.

He'd see her at work.

The thought made him smile as he walked into the bathroom so he could take a quick shower.

* * *

><p>"Morning" Fin greeted him when he walked through the elevator doors. Nick figured he must have just got there himself.<p>

"Morning" Nick smiled at him "did you get any rest after yesterday?"

Fin nodded "that was a crazy one, and I've had my share of crazy days"

"We all have" they walked to their desks.

After about half an hour Nick checked his phone again, mo messages from Amanda. It wasn't like her to be late without calling "where's your partner?" he asked Fin.

Fin raised his head from the file he was reading "I don't know, she hasn't said anything"

"It's getting kinda late" he got up to grab a drink from the fridge "just sayin" he tried to sound casual but as the time passed an alarming feeling started to grow inside of his mind.

"I'll call her" Fin dialed her number but shook his head after a moment "voicemail"

"Weird" Nick sat back down, where could she be?

"Yeah, it is weird" Fin looked at him "I'm sure she'll show up soon"

Fin tried to call again after fifteen minutes, this time it didn't go straight to voicemail but she didn't answer.

Nick tried calling her from his phone a couple of minutes later but his call went straight to voicemail.

"Ok" Fin said "this is weird"

"Hey" the two men heard a voice and turned.

"Hey, how was your meeting with Barba?" Fin asked.

"Could have been better" she replied "we talked about the trial yesterday, he thinks the perp might walk, so we need to try and find something else, where's Rollins? I wanted to talk to her about it"

Fin and Nick exchanged a look "she's not here, we're not sure where she is" Fin told her.

"I see" she looked at Nick.

"We tried calling her but she won't pick up, sometimes it goes straight to voicemail and sometimes it rings but…" he said.

Olivia looked unhappy "Give her another half an hour and then go check her place" Olivia walked to her office.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later Fin and Nick left the precinct to and drove over to Amanda's place.<p>

Fin knocked but there was no answer, he tried again, and after a moment they heard something, barking.

"That must be her dog" Fin said.

"I don't like this" Nick looked at the door, something was definitely wrong, he could feel it now. At the station he tried to look calm, as if he wasn't going out of his mind. But now he was certain of it.

"Maybe we should get the super to open the door" he looked at Fin.

Frannie started barking again, she was close to the door.

"I'll go get him" Fin nodded "but if we're wrong Amanda's going to kill us"

Fin got back a short time later with a key to the apartment. Nick watched as he unlocked the door, he hoped to see Amanda in there. He didn't care if she would scream and get angry at the two of them, Nick didn't care if Fin would see something of his there. All he wanted was to see her inside, to hear her tell them she overslept, to hear her say anything.

The moment the door was opened Frannie almost jumped on Fin "hey girl" he tried to calm her down as she seemed a little restless.

Nick walked past them and checked the bedroom and bathroom, she wasn't there. He tried to call her again, voicemail.

"Look at this" Fin called him and Nick walked over to him.

"Amanda wouldn't leave Frannie's bowl empty" he looked at Nick.

Fin was right, Amanda always made sure Frannie had enough water, with the long hours she worked she had to do that.

"She must be thirsty" Nick picked up the empty bowl and filled it with water "there you go" he placed it in front of the dog.

"We better call Liv" his eyes focused on Frannie.

"Yeah" Fin nodded "what are we gonna do about her?" he gestured at the dog.

"We can't just leave her here" Nick patted her head "I could drop her off at my mom's, she always liked dogs"

"Your mom is the squad's sitter, ha?" Fin chuckled, he knew Nick's mother had helped Olivia with Noah a couple of times.

Fin took his phone and dialed Benson's number.

* * *

><p>"After Fin called me I tracked her phone" Liv let her fellow detectives know once they entered her office "it turns on and off every few minutes" she handed them an address.<p>

"This is where the signal's coming from?" Fin asked "it's a known spot where homeless people live"

"Let's go check it out" Nick didn't want to waste another second.

"Go" Olivia watched as they hurried to leave, she hoped that they would find her and that she was alright.

* * *

><p>There weren't many people at the address they got from Benson. Nick counted eight people, but there were probably more in the area.<p>

"Try calling" he suggested and Fin took out his phone and dialed.

"It's ringing" Fin let him know and they both looked around, trying to see if something stands out. Fin tried calling again.

"Hey" Nick said and gestured with his head at someone. It was a bearded man, it was hard to tell how old he was. He had something in his hand, and from a distance it looked like a phone.

The detectives made their way to him and he raised his head to look at them for a moment but then turned his attention to what he had in his hand.

Fin called again and the object moved. They looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

"Sir" Nick started and the man looked at him again "I'm detective Amaro and this is detective Tutuola" he showed him the badge "we believe this phone doesn't belong to you"

The man looked at the phone "finders keepers" he said "finders keepers"

Nick was about to talk again but the man kept on repeating the phrase "finders keepers, finders keepers"

"Hey man" Fin raised his voice and the man looked at him "it's finders keepers, not stealers keepers, where'd you get it?"

"I found it, found it" he put the phone behind his back "didn't steal, didn't steal, finders keepers"

"This phone belongs to a police officer" Fin continued "so you better give it back to us and tell us where exactly you found it"

"I found it" the man repeated.

"We understand" Nick said, trying to soften his voice "but we need to know where, it is very important"

"Or we can arrest you for the possession of stolen property" Fin shrugged.

"Finders keepers!" the man shouted.

"Sir, please calm down" Nick realized he got the role of the good cop "why don't we make a deal, you tell us where you found the phone, give it to us so we can return it and we will let it go" the man raised his eyes and looked at Nick "maybe we could buy you something to eat too"

"Ok" it took the man a few moments to think about it "two hot dogs, and a drink"

"No problem" Nick smiled "now show us where you got it from"

The man started walking and the detectives hurried after him.

* * *

><p>He led them to a small street and placed the phone on the ground "found it here" he said.<p>

"Ok" Nick picked the phone up "did you see anything? Anyone?"

"Did you see who left the it here?" Fin asked.

The man shook his head "hot dog?"

"Just answer our questions and we will get you the hot dog" Nick nodded.

"Two" he said "and a drink"

"Yes" Nick agreed.

"I didn't see who, but I saw a car, after the car was gone I found it" he pointed at the phone.

"You remember the car?" Fin asked.

"Black" he nodded "with a cat"

"A cat? A real cat inside it?" Nick looked at Fin.

"A sticker, a yellow cat" the man shook his head "not a real cat, now my hot dog"

* * *

><p>Fin called CSU while Nick kept his word and bought him the food. He hoped the man might tell him something else but he had nothing to add.<p>

Liv showed up there too, and she was talking to Fin when Nick got back.

"He doesn't know anything else" he let them know.

"There are a few security cameras in the area, we need to check them out" she looked at Fin.

"On it" Fin said, he exchanged a look with Olivia before walking away.

"Nick" she looked at him "when was the last time you've spoken to her?"

"Yesterday" he answered.

"And did she say anything?"

"She mentioned she was going to a meeting"

"Ok" she didn't take her eyes off him "and that's it? Cause we know"

"Know what?" Nick looked confused.

"Really?" she asked "Fin and I both know about your little secret" Nick looked away, stunned "this is not the time to talk about it, but you've got to be honest now because it could help us find her"

"Liv, I swear I don't know where she might be, I know she's been having a hard time with her father's case, it looks like he was in New York not long before he was killed and I don't know exactly what's going on, but she went to a meeting and…" suddenly it hit him.

"What?" Olivia asked since he went silent.

"It's not far from here, the GA meetings she goes to" he explained.

"So she went to a meeting and walked through here, do you think someone grabbed her?"

"I don't know" Nick felt a bit weak and had to lean on a nearby wall "I don't know"

"I put out a BOLO on a black car with a yellow cat sticker" she told him

"Black car with a yellow cat sticker…" Nick shook his head "our only hope is to find something in one of the security cameras"

"We will find her" Olivia really hoped so.

* * *

><p>Not surprisingly CSU got nothing, nothing that could help them. But Fin managed to get every footage in the area. They've been going through it at the station.<p>

Nick was getting more and more frustrated with every useless video, he was focused on the images, his eyes glued to the screen. But there were no black cars.

"Hey, I think I have something" Fin called.

Nick jumped out of the chair and hurried to Fin's desk.

"Check this out" Fin didn't miss Nick's reaction but he wasn't going to say anything "this is a pretty good angle on the street"

"Yeah" Nick agreed "so you got something?"

"I think so, let me show you…"

The camera covered a part of the street, for a while there was nothing, it was empty. But then a car drove by, a black car.

"And here is our friend" Nick said, it was the homeless man, he walked by and looked at the car he kept on walking and disappeared from the screen. He was back less than a minute later, holding something.

"That must be the phone" Fin looked at Nick.

"We should get TARU on it, maybe they could get something"

"I'll tell them to put a rush on it"

* * *

><p>"I got a number" Fin said "partial plate of the car, I already got a BOLO out"<p>

"TARU got anything else?" Olivia asked.

"The car was reported stolen two days ago, in New York" Fin replied.

"Two days ago?" Nick looked down at his hands.

"Nick, tell us what you know" Olivia leaned on the desk.

"You saw the video from the bank" he turned to Fin "after that she heard nothing from the detective and she had no idea why, so Amanda ended up calling a friend of hers, an ADA in Atlanta, she told her that her father had a ticket to New York, that the detectives think that maybe he was looking for her" he took a little breath "but Amanda had no idea about that, she had no contact with him"

"Do we have any proof of him being in New York?" Olivia looked at Nick, he shook his head in response to her question.

"Maybe we should call that ADA see if she knows anything else, we've got to let them know what's going on" Fin suggested, he was certain Amanda wouldn't hide something like a visit from her father.

"Fin's right" Olivia nodded and turned to Nick again "have you met her?"

"At the funeral" He replied.

"Call her, tell her what's going on and…" Olivia's phone rang and she answered "Benson… you have?" she looked away, Nick and Fin's eyes following her "ok, we are on our way, alright"

"What is it?" Nick asked the moment she hung up.

"They've found the car" she let them know, Nick had a concerned look on his face and it got worse as Liv continued "it's burned out and there's a body inside, it's…" she turned to look at Fin, Nick's expression being too painful to look at "they can't make an ID…"

"They set fire to the car with the body inside?" Nick already knew the answer but the nod she gave him hurt.

"Let's go" Fin said.


	11. Chapter 11

Nick's heart was racing the entire way there, what if she's gone? What if he would never see her again. He tried so hard to control himself, not to cry, not to show any emotion. He wouldn't even be able to recognize her.

They pulled over and everything suddenly moved in slow motion, the place was swarming with cops, they were all moving, doing something, but to him it was as if they were frozen.

"How's it looking?" Fin asked the coroner who'd just stepped away from the car.

"The state of the body is too bad to say much" he replied "from the bone structure I can confirm it is a male, but nothing else until he's on my table"

All Nick heard was the fact it's a man, it wasn't Amanda's body. That might mean she's still alive, at least that's something.

"The officers tried to find witnesses but no luck, they are still canvassing the area" Liv walked over to the car "someone did a pretty good job burning it, if the firefighters wouldn't have arrived here when they did…"

"I'll try locating the 911 caller, maybe he saw something else" Fin said.

"Good" Benson nodded "and Nick, go to the station with him, I want you to make that call to Atlanta"

"Ok" he nodded and was about to walk to his car.

"Wait Nick" Olivia stopped him "I want a little word with you before you go" the two of them walked a little further away while Fin walked over to wait for Nick by the car.

"Nick, I need to know you're focused, I need to know you can be trusted, that you are not going to do something stupid"

Nick wasn't sure how to respond, he was focused, all that mattered was finding Amanda, but could he control himself if he came face to face with whoever was responsible?

"Nick?" she looked at him.

"Yes" he nodded "you can trust me"

* * *

><p>Nick was sitting in the bunks room, it was probably the first moment he had alone since they've found out Amanda was gone. Her phone was in his hand, he was about to search Michaela's phone number but holding it Nick felt a wave of emotions wash all over him. Just a few hours ago she used it, he could almost see her typing. Then another picture popped into his head, if Amanda dropped it when she was taken it must mean she held in her hand, she wanted to use it, maybe call him or send him a message.<p>

Nick tried to calm down, he took a couple of big breaths but there was no time to waste.

He found the number in Amanda's phone and dialed his.

"Yes?" He heard a woman's voice on the other side.

"Michaela?" He asked even though he recognized it.

"Yes, who is this?"

"It's Nick Amaro we've met at…"

"Yeah, Amanda's _friend_" the tone of her voice had changed when she said friend, he could hear her smile.

"I'm calling because…" he paused "well, I need to tell you something"

Michaela didn't reply, she understood something was wrong and waited for him to say it.

"It's Amanda, it looks like she's been kidnapped" he tried to sound neutral, as if he wasn't talking about the woman he loved.

"Kidnapped? What are you talking about? When?"

"Last night, we've found the car but it was burned, there was a body inside, we don't know whose, but it's a male"

"I see" he waited for her to continue and it didn't take her long to do that "and you believe it's connected to the investigation about her father?"

"That's what we think, nothing else makes sense, we haven't had a high profile case for a while"

"Have you let the detectives there know about this?" she asked.

"No" he shook his head "Amanda told me about your call, about what the detectives have found out and I can assure you Amanda has nothing to do with …"

"I know" she trusted Amanda and had no doubt she wasn't involved in it "I will talk to the detectives, let them know what's going on and we will be in touch, call me when you get anything else"

"Do they know you've talked to her about the case?" Nick wondered if the detectives were aware that Amanda had been informed about the latest development.

"They will now"

* * *

><p>"Anything about the 911 call?" Nick hurried to leave the bunks, he was desperate for progress, it'd been hours and they got almost nothing.<p>

"No" Fin shrugged "I found the guy but he saw nothing, just a burning car, no one close"

"Damn it" Nick felt completely lost. It was getting late, she has been gone for a long time, much more than twelve hours and soon enough it would be twenty four and forty eight, he can't let that happen, but they weren't close to finding her.

But even with her gone Nick could feel Amanda close, he was angry, furious, but he wasn't going to punch anything, break anything, as if she still managed to calm him down somehow, no matter how far away she was.

In a way it hurt him even more, he needed her so much.

"I got a call from the coroner" Olivia rushed out of her office, she got back just a short time after Nick and Fin did.

"What did he say?" Nick hoped they would finally get a break.

"He'd managed to get some DNA from the body" she informed them "they are running it now"

"That's good" Fin got up from his chair and walked to the other detectives.

"I've talked to the ADA from Atlanta" Nick said "she's going to talk to the detectives, let them know about Amanda"

"Good" she nodded "it's getting late, I think it's best if we all get some rest, we have to wait for the DNA results and it will take time" Olivia looked at Nick.

He wanted to stay, he needed to stay and look for her. But Nick also knew Olivia needed a proof he could be focused, he didn't want to be taken off the case and Nick knew Liv wouldn't hesitate to do that.

"Ok" he agreed, he could almost see the relief on her face.

* * *

><p>Nick couldn't do back to his place. He still had the key to her apartment, and that's where he was going now. Everything felt like her there, like the two of them. Nick could almost see her standing there, making herself coffee, playing with Frannie.<p>

Touching him.

Nick took out her phone from his pocket. He already went through her messages, but he just searched for clues, there was nothing there. Now he went through them slower, he read the text messages he sent her, the replies she sent him. All the conversations they had, silly things like dinner plans, weekends, good mornings when they had spent the night apart. It all seemed so meaningful now.

He sat down on the couch and rested his head between his hands. Amanda was gone, she needed him and he was at her place but so far away from her. What was she feeling? Was she hurt? Was she in pain? Was she even still alive?

He leaned back and closed his eyes. Sleep took over him quickly, he was so tired. But it wasn't peaceful. She appeared in his dream. Her hair was down, she was wearing a blue dress, he'd seen it before but couldn't remember when. Nick had to touch her, be closer to her. But with every move he made towards her she took one back. No matter how fast Nick tried to run to her, she managed to get away. He tried calling her but no sound came out.

He stopped moving and just looked at her, maybe she would move towards him. But she didn't. They looked at each other and then she turned around and disappeared.

* * *

><p>Amanda opened her eyes slowly, her head was pounding and she was grateful for the darkness that surrounded her. Until she realized she had no idea how she got there, or where <em>there<em> was. She was moving, that was clear. Every time she tried to turn her head it hurt.

But she couldn't just lie there, wherever _there_ was. Amanda pushed through the pain to try to figure out what's going on.

She was in a trunk of a car. Must have been a big car because she had room and wasn't cramped in it.

What the hell was going on?

The last thing Amanda remembered was walking out from the GA meeting. Nothing else. Her hands were tied, so were her legs. Amanda tried not to panic but it wasn't easy.

The car stopped after a while and a few minutes later the trunk was opened. A man was staring down at her. He didn't say a word and quickly took her out of the car. She couldn't fight, not with being tied and the pain in her head.

They were standing in a garage, the man held her arm tightly. Amanda looked at him, he was a big guy, she wanted to say something when a door opened and somebody walked towards them.

"Nice to meet you Amanda" he said with a wide grin but didn't bother introducing himself.

He didn't look much older than her, he was wearing a black shirt and a dark pair of jeans.

"Thank you Clay, you can leave us alone for now, I doubt Miss Rollins would be going anywhere soon"

"K boss" the other man nodded and let go of Amanda's arm. He walked towards the door his boss came in from.

"How's it going?" he gave her some time to answer but continued talking since she stayed silent "don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you"

"Where am I?" her voice was quiet but firm.

"You don't recognize your home state of Georgia?" he said dramatically "too much time in New York City, ha? Atlanta wasn't good enough?"

She was in Atlanta? How much time had passed since he took her?

"You don't talk much? Ha?" the man kept on speaking "you can't be tired, you've been out for a few hours, Clay was the busy one, driving for more than fourteen hours"

"Could have taken a flight" she finally spoke.

"Sassy, that's always fun" he leaned on the car "hey Clay, come here for a moment" he called and the other man joined them after a few minutes.

"Miss Rollins here is a funny gal, just like her daddy" he smiled at him "now I know I've made a promise not to hurt you Amanda, this is what Clay is here for"

Amanda tried not to show fear but she had a feeling she wouldn't be conscious to even try soon.

"Get her into that room Clay" the man said "I will see you soon" he turned to Amanda before walking out of the garage.

"You don't have to hit me" Amanda tried "I can walk to _that_ room by myself"

He stared at her for a while, as if he was trying to decide what to do "I'm a gentleman" he grabbed her arm again and pulled her after him.

'A gentleman who probably killed my dad' she thought.

* * *

><p>tbc<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Somehow Nick slept through the night. But it wasn't refreshing, he kept on seeing Amanda walking away from him, disappearing. And even though he wanted to, he couldn't wake up.

It was clear to Nick this was his subconscious telling him he's afraid to lose her.

There was no need for dreams, or nightmares to tell him that, he was completely aware of that.

Amanda's couch wasn't comfortable for sleeping, his neck was stiff and he rubbed it a little. He wanted to go back to the station as soon as possible but he had to take a shower first.

He stepped into the shower and the warm water felt nice. Nick looked to his side and saw her shampoo.

He touched it at first but then grabbed it and opened the lid, he just had to smell it, the familiarity of it brought tears to his eyes, he couldn't take it and cried.

* * *

><p>"We got the DNA results, Alec Belmore" Olivia greeted him, and there was almost nothing better she could have said "has a rap sheet a mile long" she handed him the file.<p>

"Petty theft, home invasion, and the most interesting part…"

"He's been arrested for stealing cars" Nick looked at the list.

"Fin and I are going to his last known address, he has no family here but it seems he has a girlfriend, they were arrested together on Valentines Day"

"How romantic" he looked at her "listen Liv…"

"I want you to stay here Nick, we will let you know everything when we get back"

He wanted to argue, to tell her he has to go but knew there was no use, she wouldn't change her mind.

"I'll wait here" he nodded.

* * *

><p>"This is it" Olivia said before knocking.<p>

It took a few minutes but a woman opened the door. She looked at them with an unpleased look "yeah?" she asked.

"Dana Corry?"

"Who's asking?"

"Detectives Tutuola and Sergeant Benson, SVU" the two of them showed her their badges.

"Well then no" she was about to close the door when Fin caught it.

"You her twin sister? Cause you look a lot like the mug shot we have of hers" he said.

"I didn't do nothing, so you can go" she tried to close the door again but Fin wasn't letting go.

"We just want to have a word with you, about Alec Belmore" Olivia said softly.

"That piece of shit?" she looked away "what has he done now?"

"He's dead" Fin let her know.

"Hallelujah" she let go of the door and walked inside.

Fin and Olivia exchanged a look and followed her into the small living room.

"I didn't mean it like that, I ain't the one who killed him" she gave them an apologetic smile but it soon faded.

"He wasn't a nice guy?" Olivia looked at her.

"He doesn't know how to treat a woman, let me tell you about this one time…"

"Ms. Corry" Fin stopped her "I'm afraid mistreating you is not illegal…"

"Well it should be" she didn't let him finish "he was terrible"

"I'm sorry to hear that" Olivia tried the sympathetic approach "but we are trying to find out what lead to his death"

"Where are you from?" Dana asked.

"Special victims unit" Fin replied.

"Oh my god!" her eyes widened "is Alec some kind of a secret special person?"

Olivia exchanged another look with Fin before proceeding "his death is connected to another investigation"

"And we could use your help" Fin said "we know he'd been stealing cars, any jobs lately?"

"Let me think" she started pacing around, walked to the kitchen to grab a soda but when she got back she had something for them "he told me some guy hired him for a job, wanted some car"

"When was that?" Olivia asked.

"A few days ago, three or four, five maybe" she shrugged and took a sip from the can.

"Did he say anything about the guy, anything at all?"

She took another sip while she though about it "I don't know, he said a lot of things, stupid ones"

"Can you tell us?"

"I didn't really listen half of the time, I mean he was kind of stupid, like just a few days ago he made this stupid and weird joke about someone paying him with peaches I mean what kind…"

"Paying him with peaches?" Olivia repeated.

"He had a weird sense of humor, this one time…"

"Can we go back to the peaches thing?" Olivia walked closer.

"Oh, don't tell me it's a thing, now I'm gonna feel guilty for laughing at him"

"Ms. Corry" Fin's tone was a little threatening now, they had to get some answers "this is important, so stop rambling and tell us the peaches thing"

Dana looked at Olivia, hoping she would say something to her colleague but it looked as she wanted to hear it too "I don't remember exactly, but he said some guy hired him for a job, and he thought he looked a little…something…I don't know, but he joked that he might pay him with peaches"

"That's all he said, nothing about why he wanted the car, where he had to bring it?" Olivia asked.

Dana shook her head "he never told me stuff like that, he only told me about him because something about him was different, but I don't know what"

"Do you know if he had any accomplices? Anyone who might have helped him with jobs like that?" Fin asked.

"I ain't no snitch" she shook her head.

"I'm gonna take it as a yes" Olivia said "which means you are withholding evidence, we can arrest you for that"

"Come on!" she protested "really?"

"Give us the name, we're not gonna say it was you who told us"

"He's gonna know" she shook her head.

"Not if we're not gonna tell him" Olivia tried reassuring her.

"He lives next door, probably saw you already" she finished the drink "guess now you know"

"We can protect you if that's the case"

"From Jerry? He's never gonna hurt me" she winked at Olivia.

"Ok, well thank you for your help" Olivia walked towards the door "would you like us to give you the contact information to the morgue so you could release the body?"

"Why would I want his body?" she frowned.

0

Once the detectives were out of the apartment another door opened and a man walked out of it.

"Jerry I assume" Fin said.

"You bothering my girl?" he asked.

"We are actually looking for her boyfriend's murderer" Olivia told him.

"Alec's dead?" he asked, looking genuinely upset.

"Sorry" Olivia nodded "can we ask you some questions about him?"

"Of course but the house is not fit for guests right now, a little messy so you don't mind talking here, right?"

"Not at all" they couldn't care less about whatever he had at his apartment, their only concern was finding Amanda.

"We know Alec was in the car theft business, we don't care about your part in these sorts of activities" Fin started "we understand a few days ago someone hired him, a southern man maybe?"

"Yeah, yep" he nodded "but Alec kept quiet about this one, I think he didn't want to share"

"Share the money?" Olivia guessed.

"Alec and I are…were, I guess, is he really dead?" both of the detectives nodded "we were friends for a long time, but when it came to money he wasn't the sharing type"

"Did he share anything at all about this guy?"

"He said he was a big guy, nothing much, I think he was kinda scared of him maybe"

"Well if you remember anything else call us" Fin gave him his card.

"A very interesting triangle" Fin smiled at Liv as they walked down the stairs "he'd rather share his girlfriend than his money"

"I think he was afraid the man who hired him wasn't going to share any money with him, hence the peaches paycheck"

"It wouldn't surprise me that he's from Georgia, but would he tell that to Alec?" Fin gave her a questioning look.

"Maybe he found out and that's what got him killed, maybe he tried to blackmail him?"

"Doesn't really help us though" he took a deep breath.

* * *

><p>"Well?" Nick jumped off his chair when Olivia and Fin walked to the room.<p>

"Well" Olivia knew Nick's been trying to stay calm, a part of her has been expecting him to punch things and scream, but he's been quiet.

Olivia knew the relationship between her two coworkers would come up sooner or later, but she had so many other things going on it was at the bottom of the list. Nick and Amanda weren't fooling anyone, they have been trying to hide it, but she noticed the exchanged glances, the slight touches.

But now she couldn't ignore it anymore, she had to see Nick not only as the good detective he was, but also as a man whose girlfriend was missing.

"Well, we think someone hired Alec Belmore to steal the car, somebody from Georgia" she let him know.

"No name?" Nick asked and she shook her head "but how did a man from Georgia find him? I read his file, he wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind"

"Amaro's right" Fin looked at Olivia "I doubt you'd find a car thief on craigslist, this was probably a word to mouth kind of thing"

"Look for any known associates of his" she looked at Fin.

"On it" he walked to his desk.

"Call Atlanta" Olivia turned to Nick "see if they have anything on Belmore there"

* * *

><p>"Nick?" Michaela answered the moment she saw Nick's name appear on the screen, after the call yesterday she had a bad feeling they would have more unpleasant conversations.<p>

"Any news?" she asked him.

"We know who was in the car, an Alec Belmore" he let her know "looks like someone from Georgia hired him to steal a car"

"Good, that's more than you had yesterday" she said.

"We're thinking maybe he knew someone there, maybe that's our connection"

"'I'm gonna talk to the detectives here and see if they can find anything about him, I will let you know"

"Thanks" he said after a short pause.

Even though she only met him briefly, Michaela liked Nick. She could tell he really cared about Amanda when he was in Loganville. And now she could hear it in his voice too, the sadness and the pain.

After his first call she rushed to the police station to see the detectives. She knew Johnson from his time in sex crimes.

"Counselor" he seemed surprised to see her "what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you and Marlow, it's important"

"Ok" Johnson could tell she was serious.

"I got a call from NYPD" she said once Marlow joined them.

"From Amanda Rollins?" Marlow asked, something fishy was going on and he didn't like it.

"About her" she replied "she's been kidnapped"

The two male detectives exchanged a look and then turned to look at the ADA.

"What are you talking about?"

"One of the detectives from her squad called me not long ago, Amanda's been taken, they don't know much yet, they've found the car that she was in but it's burned and there was a dead man inside"

"Shit" Marlow hissed.

"You've got to know that I've told her" Michaela said "about your findings, the ticket"

"So it was you?" Marlow looked at her "we've heard someone from the DA's office has been asking questions"

"Yeah, that was me"

"And you told her?" Johnson wasn't very pleased.

"She's got nothing to do with any of it, she has no idea about any money"

"And they're sure it's connected?" Marlow asked.

"They are" she nodded "you made any progress?"

"Still can't get the records" Johnson shook his head "the airline can't seem to find it, like it disappeared"

"Security cameras?"

"We know how to do our job" Marlow was getting irritated "nothing helpful"

* * *

><p>Clay dragged Amanda to a small room. He shoved her inside and locked the door.<p>

There were no windows but the light was on so she could see a small bed and another door. The restrains around her legs were loose enough so she could walk slowly and she made her way to the door to check it out. It was a small bathroom and Amanda was relieved to find and use it. But there was nothing else in the room.

Amanda sat down on the bed. Her head still hurt and she had a weird feeling in her stomach. Took her a moment to realize she was hungry.

A key turned in the door and the man in charge walked inside.

"How do you like the room?" he smiled "no view, but could be worse, ha?"

"What about lunch?" she asked quietly, she was in the garage when Clay took her out of the car but calculating the time that had passed since she left the GA meeting she figured it must have been noon already.

"This ain't the four seasons" the smile was gone now "we're cutting back on that"

"I don't have the money" this was what he wanted, the money her father had in the video. The detectives thought she had it, why wouldn't this guy.

"Straight to the point" he smiled again and sat down on the bed, she instinctively moved further from him "I'm not going to hurt you" he took a deep breath "I do want the money though"

"I don't have it"

"Your daddy had it, and I bet he gave it to you" he looked straight into her eyes, she tried not to stir, not to show any emotion.

"Well, you're wrong, I haven't seen him for a long time" she kept her voice casual "he had no reason to give me any money"

"That is so sad" he shook his head a little "a cliché too"

"That's the truth"

"I don't believe it" he scooted closer to her "I don't believe it for a second"


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry this update took so long. I was busy with the other fic. But I promise you won't have to wait long for the next update cause it's almost ready (my secret weapon- no sleep)

Happy 2015 everyone.

Thanks for reading.

* * *

><p>"I think I've found the connection" Fin said and turned to Nick "I went through all of Belmore's arrests and there is one, more then ten years ago, his accomplice was a man named Charlie Elks, and he lives in Atlanta"<p>

"Let me guess" Nick walked over to Fin "he hasn't changed his ways"

"No" Fin shook his head "he's been arrested a couple of times" they both looked at the screen, reading Elks' information.

"Let Liv know, I'll call Atlanta" Nick took his phone and dialed Michaela.

A few minutes later Fin was done briefing Olivia and Michaela promised Nick to make sure they bring Charlie Elks in.

"Let's hope the APD gets something from him" Olivia said.

"Yeah" Nick looked down, he couldn't just wait. If almost everyone involved are from Atlanta, and the only one not from there is dead…where could they keep her? Why would they kill a man and try to get rid of his body if he was useful to them?

All roads lead to Atlanta.

"I have to go there" Nick added, his fellow detectives stopped talking and looked at him, not sure where he had to go.

"To Atlanta" he said "I think they took her there"

"Nick…" Olivia started but he didn't let her finish.

"It makes sense, holding her there would make it easier on them, if the detectives think she might have a connection to her father why wouldn't they? We saw the video, if they think she has the money"

"Ok" Olivia humored him "then you can share this with the ADA there, let them find her, we will concentrate on what we can do from here"

"Sarge, I have to go"

"Let's go to my office" she told him and he followed her there.

Nick closed the door and she was about to say something when he spoke first.

"I know what you're about to say" he looked at her "I know that we will have to talk about this, but we both know it doesn't matter right now, all that matters is finding her. And I'm sure she's there, so I can't sit here and wait, I'm sorry, I just can't. I need to be there, I need to help them find her, see her when they do. When we come back you can do whatever you choose, I will leave if this is what you decide. Right now, I need to fly to Atlanta and help look for her"

* * *

><p>A few hours later Nick had landed in Atlanta. Olivia decided to let him go, Nick knew very well that he would have to face the repercussions after he returns, but as long as Amanda would come back with him, he didn't care.<p>

Michaela was waiting for him in the airport and they wasted no time going to the station.

"The detectives managed to locate Elks" she told him on the drive there "they should bring him there soon, if they haven't already. I told them you'd come"

"You got anything helpful about him?"

"Not really, he's a lowlife" she glanced at Nick "but I will get it out of him, we'll find her"

* * *

><p>"Detective Nick Amaro from the NYPD" she introduced him to the detectives.<p>

"It's nice to meet you" Johnson shook his hand and introduced himself and Marlow.

"Is Elks here?" Michaela asked.

"Just a couple of minutes ago" Marlow said "we were just about to question him, wanna join us? Johnson told me you have some great tactics"

"You can start" she gave him a little smile "I just have to check something"

The detectives walked into the interrogation room and Nick watched from the other room.

"Hey Charlie, I'm detective Marlow" he sat down in front of him "and this is detective Johnson, we were wondering if you could help us"

"I don't really wanna" he leaned back "that ain't polite to make a man come to the police station in the middle of a work day"

"And what is it that you do?" Johnson asked, he was sitting on the edge of the table "cause I'm pretty sure you are in the car stealing business which is, as you already know, is illegal"

"You are wrong, I work at a garage, I'm an honest man"

"Well then thank you for your time" Marlow crossed his arms "no car thief has ever worked in a garage, right Johnson?"

"That's right, he's an honest man, wouldn't be involved with a kidnapping" Johnson looked at Elks.

"Kidnapping? No way, what are you talking about?"

"Kidnapping a detective…well that's a different story" Johnson kept on talking but he turned to Marlow now, as if Elks wasn't even there "I mean, you kidnap some guy, fine, we print some posters. But you kidnap a fellow officer…"

"You can't get away with that" Marlow agreed.

"I didn't kidnap anyone" Elks tried again.

"You know an Alec Belmore?" Marlow asked him.

Elks expression told them what they wanted to know, but he tried to hide it "sound familiar, but I don't know"

"So you don't remember stealing a car with him ten years ago?"

"Ten years? Man, that's a long time" Elks shrugged.

"You're young, are you saying you already have memory problems?" Johnson stood up "doesn't stealing a car together make you best friends or something?"

"I don't think they're best friends" Elks turned to look at Marlow "if he was his friend he would have cared"

"Cared?" Elks was curious.

"Alec's dead" Johnson answered and the two detectives watched as Elks scratched his forehead in confusion.

"Dead" Marlow repeated "pretty brutal"

"Yeah" Johnson nodded "they found him in New York, somebody burned him"

Elks tried to control his expression again, but they knew it hit a nerve "that's sad, but I don't know anything about it"

"Well…" Johnson started when the door opened and Michaela walked in.

"Charlie" Marlow looked at him "this is the ADA"

"Hello" she smiled "could you give us a moment" she looked at Johnson and he nodded before walking out of the room.

"So Mr. Elks" she sat down next to Marlow "I understand you're being questioned about a kidnapping"

"I told them I have nothing to do with it"

"I understand, and questioning you without a lawyer present" she looked at Marlow and turned her attention back to Elks "are you aware of your rights?"

"Well yes…of course"

"The thing is" she said "these guys here have already filled the paperwork about your arrest" his eyes widened in surprise.

"And since they already did it, and you know we can hold you for a while…" she spoke as if it was a hustle for her, as if she was upset she has to deal with this _paperwork_ "so I will show you to your cell and we will let you go tomorrow" she stood up and Elks, still unsure about what was happening did the same.

"Detective, if you will lead the way to the cell" she told Marlow.

They walked to the cells quietly until Michaela glanced at him again "so you really have nothing to do with the kidnapping or Belmore?"

"Not a thing" he assured.

Michaela could see Nick following them, he had a worried expression but she knew what she was doing.

"This is it" they stood close to the cell. There was a group of bikers there, they didn't seem to care about the new addition.

"Officer" Marlow turned to the guard who had the keys and he opened the door.

Elks walked inside and Michaela closed the door and then walked closer to the bars "and don't worry" she said loudly "you will be out of here tomorrow, that kid you molested decided not to press charges, guess he was too afraid"

The bikers stared at him now and he could feel the hateful looks almost piercing through him.

"That's a lie!" he shouted "it's not true"

"A lie for a lie" she whispered "to paraphrase"

"No! I never did such a thing" he turned around, the men in the cell were all very interested in him now.

"We will leave you alone with your new friends" she smiled and turned around "officer, would you come with us" she looked at the guard and Marlow nodded in approval.

"Wait" Elks said when he saw they were about to leave "I want a deal, get me out of here"

"Let him out" Michaela asked the guard and Elks looked relived to be out of the cell.

They walked back to the interrogation room and this time Marlow joined Nick and Johnson on the other side if the mirror.

"I will tell you everything" Elks said "no charges"

"That's your offer?" she asked and he nodded "this is how it's going to work, you will tell me everything, and if it helps out I will charge you with conspiracy, you will not walk out of this, you were involved in this and you don't get a 'get out of jail' card. You tell me everything, and plead guilty, or you can go for a trial, and I will make sure to swamp you lawyer with so much paperwork he would curse the day he went to law school. And with your record you would not get bail, and I will find some very nice cell mates for you. And they are going to have a good time with you and I would not care one bit. Ok?"

Elks looked genuinely scared of her. Nick couldn't blame him, he wasn't sure how much of that she could pull off and how much was a just an empty threat designed to scare a clueless man. What mattered was that it worked. Elks agreed to her terms.

"Clay Firestone" he said "that's the guy who asked me to find someone for a job in New York, but I didn't know he would kill him, he told me he needs someone to get him a car there. That's all I know"

"Thank you Charlie" Michaela smiled and walked out of the room.

Johnson was already at his desk entering the name in the database and Marlow followed him.

"That was nice" Nick smiled at Michaela.

"I just hope the name is enough, I don't think he knows anything else" she walked to the other detectives.

"Not much on this Clay guy" Johnson looked at her "he was arrested for a fight one time but the charges were dropped"

"I have a feeling this is not the first time he's been involved in something big" Michaela looked at the screen "he works for someone?"

"Let me check…" Johnson was typing again.

"Something to do with gambling?" Nick asked "we know Rollins' dad was a gambler, that's probably how he got the money"

"Makes sense" Marlow nodded and everyone looked at the screen.

"There is something here" Johnson said "looks like he worked for a Elmore Kennedy"

"I recognize the name" Michaela tried to remember "a few years ago they tried to prosecute him, he had a few gambling clubs"

"And what happened?" Nick asked her.

"I don't remember exactly, but he's free so nothing came out of it"

"I wouldn't say free" Johnson looked at them "well, depends on the perspective"

"He's dead" Marlow looked at the screen.

"A few months ago" Johnson nodded and kept on scrolling down "looks like the police closed the known clubs after his death"

"He must have taken the money from someone, was Clay the second in command or just an employee?"

"He has a family?" Nick asked.

Johnson looked for the information and then turned to Nick and answered "he has a son"

* * *

><p>Amanda's head was pounding. She was hungry and very thirsty. And tired.<p>

She lay on the bed and closed her eyes, just for a second because her eyelids were getting heavy.

Something shook her and she sat up quickly, staring at the man who demanded the money. She had no idea who he was, what was his name.

"Taking a nap?" he asked and sat next to her.

She felt a little dizzy but tried to stay calm.

"How bout a little game?" he asked "some entertainment"

"Thought this isn't the Four Seasons" she replied.

"I bet we could have been friends" he smiled "if things were different….if you weren't hiding my money" he took out a deck of cards and she had no idea what he had in mind.

"Shall we?" Amanda realized she wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

The man moved a little so there would be more space between them "cause I understand you" he placed the cards facing down on the bed.

"Me and my dad, we didn't get along, he wanted me to join the family business and I wanted something else" she looked at him without saying a word.

"Blackjack?" He didn't wait for a reply and started rearranging the cards "I went to college, computer science, got a good job and I was happy. But then" he stopped and looked into her eyes "I got fired and things didn't go my way so I had no choice but to go back to live with my dad, that's fucked up, ha?"

Amanda tried to listen to the story and ignore the cards, what was he doing? What was the plan?

"He was still a jerk, but luckily he died not too long after I showed up, and I know what you're thinking, but I had nothing to do with that, already told you I don't hurt people. But dad died from natural causes, if you could call smoking and drinking natural"

"Anyway" he continued after a short pause "while the police took the opportunity to close his clubs, I decided to take the money, give some to Clay since he is such a stand up guy, and leave forever"

He looked at her again "you know this game, right? Was your father's favorite" he turned one of the cards so it was facing up.

"Jack" he smiled "it's pretty clear I was very unhappy to find out the money's gone, my dad was so stupid he had no idea your dad had been stealing. Cause he'd been working for him for the last three years"

"I don't have the money, I don't know where it is" Amanda said quietly, she would have screamed if she had the energy.

"He wouldn't give it to your mom, he hated her, your sister? God knows where she is. But you…" he smiled again "I bet you two were close. When I found out he wasn't really Joseph Avery I was surprised, didn't expect it, but what can I say… he was good. I'm pretty good too. I found out he bought a ticket to New York but I hacked into the airlines database to throw off the detectives, he was never on the flight" Amanda narrowed her eyes a little, he kept on talking "but he got a car so Clay followed his example and drove to the city. He wouldn't give me back the money so I made sure he would never use it…but you…if you give it back I would let you go. I would leave, and everyone would go on"

"You want another?" he pointed at the cards "I know you wouldn't want to use gambling money…I know you go to GA, does it help?" he moved a little closer and she turned away "I bet it doesn't, how badly do you want me to turn another one? Where is my money?" He shouted the last words but she said nothing.

"Let's see" he turned the card "you lose"


	14. Chapter 14

"So Kennedy has one son?" Michaela asked.

"Scotty" Johnson replied "no record"

"Any other employees except for Clay?"

"Not in the files" Johnson looked at her.

"We need to focus on where they could be holding her" Nick said "it has to be secluded or closed, somewhere no one would see or hear her" it was hard for him to think of Amanda stuck in a place like that, he needed to find her.

"I will check his properties" Johnson nodded.

"I doubt it's one of the clubs, they are on our radar, we need to think about other options"

"She's right" Marlow added "probably not his house too"

"Ok" Johnson kept on searching "not a club, not his house…there is something else here. It appears in the file but there was never a club there, says here it was an old and empty structure, less then an hour from the city"

"Let's check it out" Marlow took his jacket "I will call a bus, we know this man is capable of some bad shit"

* * *

><p>"You think you will stay strong?" Scotty asked her "we both know you want to eat, to drink. But what you want the most is to play again, no? You just tell me where my money's at and everything will be over, I will find it and let you go"<p>

"No" she responded "I don't have the money. You tried to escape your father? Well guess what, you are just like him" it was the adrenaline now, giving her some energy "he was a terrible man and so are you, all you care about is the money, just like him. And you know what? I am just like my father, I will never tell you about it" she had no idea where it was, she had no idea what to do, they were looking for her but were they close?

Scotty was pissed, he stood up and slapped her. It wasn't that hard, but Amanda was weak. She fell back on the bed with her eyes closed.

He walked out of the room and went looking for Clay. That bitch had his money, well, she won't get a chance to use it.

Scotty heard a commotion outside and he hurried to check it out.

"Atlanta PD, hands in the air" a policeman shouted and he did as he was told while another officer walked over to him and cuffed him.

Scotty could see Clay being pushed into another vehicle and he cursed quietly.

Once Scotty was in handcuffs Nick rushed inside to search for her.

"Amanda" he called but there was no answer.

Nick looked around and saw a wooden door, it was locked "Amanda" still nothing. He used all his force to break it and walked inside.

"Amanda" he hurried to her, she was lying on the bed, her eyes shut "she's here, get the paramedics in here" he shouted.

"Hey" he whispered "you're safe" she didn't move.

The paramedics showed up and he cleared the way. They put the oxygen mask on her and placed her in the gurney.

Nick followed Amanda with his eyes as they took her away.

* * *

><p>"She will be ok" The most beautiful words he's ever heard.<p>

They came from the doctor who examined Amanda "she was severely dehydrated but we are giving her fluids. And there's no concussion, a nasty bruise, but she's lucky"  
>"Can I…we see her?" Nick asked.<p>

"She's asleep, I want her to rest for now and you can see her when she wakes up, try in half an hour"

"Thank you doctor" Michaela smiled and turned to Nick who had an unclear expression on his face "I think we better go" she looked at Marlow and Johnson "I will come by later, ok?"

Nick nodded, he had no plans leaving the hospital.

It has been the longest thirty minutes of his life, but finally the doctor said he could go into her room.

Amanda was lying in the bed with an IV drip. He had to touch her, to feel her skin, seeing her there just wasn't enough.

He had to feel her there.

Nick gently caressed her cheek, savoring every millisecond.

"Nick" she whispered, her voice so quiet Nick though it was just his imagination. But Amanda opened her eyes a little and he just felt so happy.

"Hey" he said and his fingers moved over her cheek again "how are you feeling?"

"I'm…tired, better?" she wasn't sure.

"You'll be alright, you're safe"

She smiled and then whispered something again. This time it was so quiet he couldn't hear it.

"What?" he moved closer.

"Kiss me" she repeated.

Nick had to obey. He sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed her lips gently. He pulled away quickly but felt something on the back of his head.

It was Amanda's hand "Like you missed me" she softly pushed him towards her and this time their lips were attached for a while.

* * *

><p>Amanda had to stay at the hospital for two more days and Nick had no choice but to go back to New York. Michaela promised to check in on her.<p>

"Thank you" Nick said, she gave him a ride to the airport, but they both knew he was grateful for much more than that.

"Take care Nick" she smiled "and Amanda can take care of herself but help her out, ok?"

Nick nodded and gave her a quick hug before walking inside.

Liv decided to postpone 'the talk' after Amanda got back to work so things were pretty much back to normal.

Amanda took a flight to New York after being released and the doctor ordered a few more days at home before returning to work.

Nick picked her up from the airport "hey" he kissed her "you look…nice" he was referring to her clothes, she was wearing a blue pants suite.

"I borrowed this from Michaela" she smiled "couldn't fly in the hospital gown"

"Come on" he smiled "I'll take you home, Frannie missed you"

"Who took care of her?" she asked.

"My mom"

"Your mom is the squad's sitter, babies, dogs"

"Fin said the same thing" he chuckled "and she loved Frannie"

"I can't wait to see her"

* * *

><p>Nick dropped Frannie off before picking up Amanda and she happily greeter her owner. Nick watched the little reunion with a big grin on his face.<p>

"I've got to go to work" he said "I will come back later, ok? There's food in the fridge"

She looked at him and nodded.

* * *

><p>He still had the super's key and let himself in after knocking. Amanda didn't answer but the moment he walked inside he could hear the water in the shower so he calmed down.<p>

"Hey girl" he petted the dog and waited for Amanda to be done. The water stopped running but she didn't step outside. Nick knocked after a few minutes.

"Amanda? Can I come in?" there was no answer so he opened the door.

She was standing there, wrapped in a while towel staring at the wall.

"Amanda?" he asked.

"Mmm?"

"You ok?"

"Yes" she nodded and turned her head towards him for a second.

"Hey" he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Just a few days ago he was in this shower, smelling this smell from the shampoo bottle. This was way better.

She placed her arms over his, enjoying his embrace.

"The food was good" she said after a while.

"I remember a promise somebody here made, to cook me something…"

"You know very well Frannie can't make promises" she turned around to face him.

"Frannie isn't in this room, is she?" he smiled and kissed her.

* * *

><p>A few days later Amanda had kept her promise and cooked Nick dinner.<p>

"I talked to Michaela today" she let him know "the trial is going to start soon"

"They found out anything else?" he asked.

"Nothing about the money, but she said they aren't going to look for it" she shrugged "I don't know where he could have taken it. I don't even know if it matters"

Nick looked at her as she took another bite. She was doing alright, but he knew she had many unanswered questions, and it bothered her.

They finished eating in silence.

"This was good" he smiled at her.

"Told ya I had skills"

"I believe your exact words were _be careful what you wish for_" he raised his eyebrows at her "let me clean this up" he gave her a quick kiss and picked up the plates.

Amanda watched as Nick walked over to the kitchen, followed by Frannie who was probably hoping to get some leftovers. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She felt something inside of her, her heart was overflowing with love. Suddenly it felt overwhelming, to feel so strongly about someone. She loved him, she told him that before, but it felt like more than that.

He made her so happy.

Yes, they disagreed a lot, argued about things, and some arguments got heated. But they also knew how to separate the disagreements at work from their relationship. They did their best to leave work at work, just be together.

She appreciated Nick's support, through all this he has been there for her, whether she needed to talk, or if she just wanted a hug.

She felt stronger with him, and Amanda wasn't a weak person, but with Nick, it was as if the loneliness inside her was slowly fading away. For so long, no matter how many people were around her, she would feel alone, as if she was only half there. But now, having something so real in her life made these feelings drift away.

She chuckled at the thought of sounding like a cheesy love song, but it didn't really matter. Because it was true.

A need washed all over her, she had to be close to him, touch him, kiss him, feel him inside of her. Every fiber in her body longed for him and she couldn't stop herself.

She walked to the kitchen after him.

"Leave it" he had a plate in his hand and he was about to turn on the water to wash it.

"What?" Nick gave her a confused look.

She took the plate from him and placed it in the sink. Amanda moved closer to him and her lips slightly touched his shoulder "come to bed" she whispered.

Nick was a little taken aback by her impatience, but he wasn't going to complain and happily followed her there.

Later they were laying in bed, facing each other, his hand softly running up and down her thigh.

"I love you so much" she whispered in his ear.

Nick smiled and kissed her. Nothing else mattered. Just the two of them.

* * *

><p>The end.<p> 


End file.
